the act or process of dividing; state of being divided.
2.
Arithmetic. 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.
Government. 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.
Military.
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.
Botany. a major primary subdivision of the plant kingdom, consisting of one or more classes; plant phylum.
13.
Zoology. any subdivision of a classificatory group or category.
14.
Horticulture. 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.
Origin: 1325–75; ME divisioun, devisioun (< AF) < L dīvīsiōn- (s. of dīvīsiō), equiv. to dīvīs(us) (see divisible) + -iōn--ion
Related forms:
di⋅vi⋅sion⋅al, di⋅vi⋅sion⋅ar⋅y, adjective
di⋅vi⋅sion⋅al⋅ly, adverb
Synonyms: 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.
An area of government or corporate activity organized as an administrative or functional unit.
A territorial section marked off for political or governmental purposes.
An administrative and tactical military unit that is smaller than a corps but is self-contained and equipped for prolonged combat activity.
A group of several ships of similar type forming a tactical unit under a single command in the U.S. Navy.
A unit of the U.S. Air Force larger than a wing and smaller than an air force.
Variance of opinion; disagreement.
A splitting into factions; disunion.
Mathematics The operation of determining how many times one quantity is contained in another; the inverse of multiplication.
The proportional distribution of a quantity or entity.
Something, such as a boundary or partition, that serves to divide or keep separate.
One of the parts, sections, or groups into which something is divided.
An area of government or corporate activity organized as an administrative or functional unit.
A territorial section marked off for political or governmental purposes.
An administrative and tactical military unit that is smaller than a corps but is self-contained and equipped for prolonged combat activity.
A group of several ships of similar type forming a tactical unit under a single command in the U.S. Navy.
A unit of the U.S. Air Force larger than a wing and smaller than an air force.
Variance of opinion; disagreement.
A splitting into factions; disunion.
An administrative and tactical military unit that is smaller than a corps but is self-contained and equipped for prolonged combat activity.
A group of several ships of similar type forming a tactical unit under a single command in the U.S. Navy.
A unit of the U.S. Air Force larger than a wing and smaller than an air force.
Variance of opinion; disagreement.
A splitting into factions; disunion.
Botany The highest taxonomic category, consisting of one or more related classes, and corresponding approximately to a phylum in zoological classification. See Table at taxonomy.
A category created for purposes of competition, as in boxing.
Variance of opinion; disagreement.
A splitting into factions; disunion.
The physical separation and regrouping of members of a parliament according to their stand on an issue put to vote.
Biology Cell division.
A type of propagation characteristic of plants that spread by means of newly formed parts such as bulbs, suckers, or rhizomes.
[Middle English divisioun, from Old French division, from Latin dīvīsiō, dīvīsiōn-, from dīvīsus, past participle of dīvidere, to divide; see divide.]
di·vi'sion·al adj.
c.1374, from O.Fr. division, from L. divisionem (nom. divisio), from divid-, stem of dividere (see divide). Military sense is first recorded 1597. Mathematical sense is from c.1425. The mathematical division sign supposedly was invented by British mathematician John Pell (1611-85) who taught at Cambridge and Amsterdam. Divisive "producing discord" is from 1642.
an army unit large enough to sustain combat; "two infantry divisions were held in reserve"
2.
one of the portions into which something is regarded as divided and which together constitute a whole; "the written part of the exam"; "the finance section of the company"; "the BBC's engineering division" [syn: part]
3.
the act or process of dividing
4.
an administrative unit in government or business
5.
discord that splits a group
6.
a league ranked by quality; "he played baseball in class D for two years"; "Princeton is in the NCAA Division 1-AA" [syn: class]
7.
(biology) a group of organisms forming a subdivision of a larger category
8.
(botany) taxonomic unit of plants corresponding to a phylum
9.
a unit of the United States Air Force usually comprising two or more wings
10.
a group of ships of similar type
11.
an arithmetic operation that is the inverse of multiplication; the quotient of two numbers is computed
12.
the act of dividing or partitioning; separation by the creation of a boundary that divides or keeps apart
The act, process, or operation of finding out how many times one number or quantity is contained in another.
A taxonomic classification within the plant kingdom that ranks immediately above a class and corresponds to a phylum in other kingdoms. See Table at taxonomy.
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This Main Entry: di·vi·sion Pronunciation: d&-'vizh-&n Function: noun 1: the act or process of dividing : the state ofbeing divided —see CELL DIVISION 2: a group of organisms forming part of a larger group;specifically: a primary category of the plant kingdom —di·vi·sion·al/-'vizh-n&l, -'vizh-&n-&l/adjective
Di*vi"sion\, n. [F. division, L. divisio, from dividere. See Divide.]1. The act or process of diving anything into parts, or the state of being so divided; separation. I was overlooked in the division of the spoil. --Gibbon. 2. That which divides or keeps apart; a partition. 3. The portion separated by the divining of a mass or body; a distinct segment or section. Communities and divisions of men. --Addison. 4. Disunion; difference in opinion or feeling; discord; variance; alienation. There was a division among the people. --John vii. 43. 5. Difference of condition; state of distinction; distinction; contrast. --Chaucer. I will put a division between my people and thy people. --Ex. viii. 23. 6. Separation of the members of a deliberative body, esp. of the Houses of Parliament, to ascertain the vote. The motion passed without a division. --Macaulay. 7. (Math.) The process of finding how many times one number or quantity is contained in another; the reverse of multiplication; also, the rule by which the operation is performed. 8. (Logic) The separation of a genus into its constituent species. 9. (Mil.) (a) Two or more brigades under the command of a general officer. (b) Two companies of infantry maneuvering as one subdivision of a battalion. (c) One of the larger districts into which a country is divided for administering military affairs. 10. (Naut.) One of the groups into which a fleet is divided. 11. (Mus.) A course of notes so running into each other as to form one series or chain, to be sung in one breath to one syllable. 12. (Rhet.) The distribution of a discourse into parts; a part so distinguished. 13. (Biol.) A grade or rank in classification; a portion of a tribe or of a class; or, in some recent authorities, equivalent to a subkingdom. Cell division (Biol.), a method of cell increase, in which new cells are formed by the division of the parent cell. In this process, the cell nucleus undergoes peculiar differentiations and changes, as shown in the figure (see also Karyokinesis). At the same time the protoplasm of the cell becomes gradually constricted by a furrow transverse to the long axis of the nuclear spindle, followed, on the completion of the division of the nucleus, by a separation of the cell contents into two masses, called the daughter cells. Long division (Math.), the process of division when the operations are mostly written down. Short division (Math.), the process of division when the operations are mentally performed and only the results written down; -- used principally when the divisor is not greater than ten or twelve. Syn: compartment; section; share; allotment; distribution; separation; partition; disjunction; disconnection; difference; variance; discord; disunion.
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