— divisional, divisionary , adj. — divisionally , adv.
/di vizh"euhn/ , n.
1. the act or process of dividing; state of being divided.
2. Arith. the operation inverse to multiplication; the finding of a quantity, the quotient, that when multiplied by a given quantity, the divisor, gives another given quantity, the dividend; the process of ascertaining how many times one number or quantity is contained in another.
3. something that divides or separates; partition.
4. something that marks a division; dividing line or mark.
5. one of the parts into which a thing is divided; section.
6. separation by difference of opinion or feeling; disagreement; dissension.
7. Govt. the separation of a legislature, or the like, into two groups, in taking a vote.
8. one of the parts into which a country or an organization is divided for political, judicial, military, or other purposes.
9. Mil.
a. (in the army) a major administrative and tactical unit, larger than a regiment or brigade and smaller than a corps: it is usually commanded by a major general.
b. (in the navy) a number of ships, usually four, forming a tactical group that is part of a fleet or squadron.
10. a major autonomous or semi-independent but subordinate administrative unit of an industrial enterprise, government bureau, transportation system, or university: the sales division of our company; the Division of Humanities.
11. (in sports) a category or class containing all the teams or competitors grouped together according to standing, skill, weight, age, or the like: a team in the first division; the heavyweight division in boxing.
12. Bot. a major primary subdivision of the plant kingdom, consisting of one or more classes; plant phylum.
13. Zool. any subdivision of a classificatory group or category.
14. Hort. a type of propagation in which new plants are grown from segments separated from the parent plant.
15. the ornamentation of a melodic line in 17th- and 18th-century music.
[ 1325-75; ME divisioun, devisioun ( division- (s. of divisio ), equiv. to divis ( us ) (see DIVISIBLE) + -ion- -ION ]
Syn. 1. separation, apportionment, allotment, distribution. DIVISION, PARTITION suggest dividing into parts. DIVISION usually means marking off or separating a whole into parts. PARTITION often adds the idea of allotting or assigning parts following division: partition of an estate, of a country. 4. boundary, demarcation. 5. compartment, segment. 6. breach, rift, disunion, rupture, estrangement, alienation.
Ant. 6. accord, union.