the act or process of dividing; state of being divided.
something that divides or separates; partition.
something that marks a division; dividing line or mark.
separation by difference of opinion or feeling; disagreement; dissension.
Government. the separation of a legislature, or the like, into two groups, in taking a vote.
Botany. a major primary subdivision of the plant kingdom, consisting of one or more classes; plant phylum.
Zoology. any subdivision of a classificatory group or category.
Horticulture. a type of propagation in which new plants are grown from segments separated from the parent plant.

1325–75; Middle English divisioun, devisioun (< Anglo-French) < Latin dīvīsiōn- (stem of dīvīsiō), equivalent to dīvīs(us) (see divisible) + -iōn- -ion

divisional, divisionary, adjective
divisionally, adverb
hyperdivision, noun
interdivision, noun
interdivisional, adjective
interdivisionally, adverb
misdivision, noun
nondivision, noun
nondivisional, adjective
predivision, noun
prodivision, adjective
redivision, noun
self-division, noun
semidivision, noun
superdivision, noun

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.

6. accord, union. Unabridged
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World English Dictionary
division (dɪˈvɪʒən)
1.  the act of dividing or state of being divided
2.  the act of sharing out; distribution
3.  something that divides or keeps apart, such as a boundary
4.  one of the parts, groups, etc, into which something is divided
5.  a part of a government, business, country, etc, that has been made into a unit for administrative, political, or other reasons
6.  a formal vote in Parliament or a similar legislative body
7.  a difference of opinion, esp one that causes separation
8.  (in sports) a section, category, or class organized according to age, weight, skill, etc
9.  a mathematical operation, the inverse of multiplication, in which the quotient of two numbers or quantities is calculated. Usually written: a ÷ b, , a/b
10.  a.  army a major formation, larger than a regiment or brigade but smaller than a corps, containing the necessary arms to sustain independent combat
 b.  navy a group of ships of similar type or a tactical unit of naval aircraft
 c.  air force an organization normally comprising two or more wings with required support units
11.  (plural) navy the assembly of all crew members for the captain's inspection
12.  biology Compare phylum (in traditional classification systems) a major category of the plant kingdom that contains one or more related classes
13.  horticulture any type of propagation in plants in which a new plant grows from a separated part of the original
14.  logic the fallacy of inferring that the properties of the whole are also true of the parts, as Britain is in debt, so John Smith is in debt
15.  (esp in 17th-century English music) the art of breaking up a melody into quick phrases, esp over a ground bass
[C14: from Latin dīvīsiō, from dīvidere to divide]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Word Origin & History

late 14c., from O.Fr. division, from L. divisionem (nom. divisio), from divid-, stem of dividere (see divide). Military sense is first recorded 1590s. Mathematical sense is from early 15c. The mathematical division sign supposedly was invented by British mathematician John
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

division di·vi·sion (dĭ-vĭzh'ən)

  1. The act or process of dividing.

  2. cell division.

  3. The operation of determining how many times one quantity is contained in another; the inverse of multiplication.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
division   (dĭ-vĭzh'ən)  Pronunciation Key 


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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