partition

Definition

An action which divides a thing into parts, or separates one thing from another.

Etymology

Recorded c.1430, "division into shares, distinction," from Middle English particioun, from Old French particion (modern partition), from Latin partitio, partitionem (“division, portion”), from partitus, the past participle of partire (“to split (up), part(ition)”).

Example Sentences

• "the partitions of Poland"
• "And good from bad find no partition."
• "At the partition of Ireland in 1920, the railway mileage of the whole country stood at its maximum figure of 3,442, of which 2,668 miles were in the South, and 754 in the much smaller North."