ˌsegrə̇ˈgāshən, -rēˈ- noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Late Latin segregation-, segregatio, from Latin segregatus (past participle of segregare to segregate) + -ion-, -io -ion
1.
a. : the act or process of segregating or the state of being segregated
the attempted segregation of the elements of truth from the picture of an idealized past
that segregation of the order of grace and the order of nature which … others accepted — Douglas Bush
b. obsolete : dispersion
a segregation of the Turkish fleet — Shakespeare
2. : the separation or isolation of individuals or groups from a larger group or from society: as
a. : the separation or isolation of a race, class, or ethnic group by enforced or voluntary residence in a restricted area, barriers to social intercourse, divided educational facilities, or other discriminatory means
in only four … states where there is educational segregation is a Negro permitted to study law — Henry Wallace
city-dwelling Southerners have been assured … that residential segregation will preserve the separate schools — H.C.Fleming
— see apartheid
b. : the separation for special treatment or observation of individuals or items from a larger group
large-scale segregation of gifted children into special classes — H.J.Baker
segregation of extraordinary expenses in the municipal budget
c. : the separate confinement of individuals or groups (as hardened criminals, perverts, or the mentally deficient) from the rest of the inmate population in an institution
the segregation of the small fraction of incorrigible … prisoners — H.E.Barnes
3. : the tendency of individuals or units to separate from a larger group or society and associate together on a basis of similar characteristics
industrial areas … and financial districts are some examples of industrial and commercial segregation — C.A.Dawson & W.E.Gettys
segregation according to lot size is often a feature of upper-class residential districts
4. : a special cell or cellblock for the confinement of persons separated from the rest of the inmate population in an institution
typical action of the adjustment committee includes counseling the offender … or placing him in segregation — Journal of Social Work Process
5. : the separation of allelic genes that occurs typically during meiosis — see mendel's law
6. : a nonuniform distribution of particles of aggregate throughout a quantity of concrete, mortar, or plaster
7. : the concentration of alloying elements in specific parts of a metallic alloy