fragmentation

Etymology

It is formed from English fragment + -ation,^[2][3][4][5] the base being the noun in the OED's view and the verb in Etymonline's;^[2][5] Merriam-Webster derives it instead from French fragmentation, from fragmenter (“to divide into fragments”).^[6] The noun is from French fragment or Latin fragmentum (“a piece broken off, remnant”),^[2][5] from frangō (“to break”),^[2][5] from Proto-Indo-European *bhreg- (“to break”).^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

A breaking up into parts: 1842 in Etymonline,^[5] while the OED's first record is from the Times of 24 December 1881,^[2] and Merriam-Webster also dates it to 1881.^[6]

Semantic evolution

In biology the word was used of the separation of an organism into parts that form new individuals.^[2][3] The fragmentation grenade, made to burst into many small pieces, is recorded from 1918,^[5][3] and in sociology the word came to mean the breakdown of the norms that govern behaviour and social relationships.^[7] In computing, from 1983, it is the state of a file stored in several separate areas of a disk.^[2]

Timeline

• 1842 – a breaking up into parts.^[5] The OED's first record is from 1881.^[2]
• 1918 – fragmentation grenade.^[5]
• 1983 – computing, a file stored in separate parts of a disk.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. The act or process of breaking into fragments, or the state of being broken up: the fragmentation of the party into rival factions.^[7][6][2]
2. (biology) The splitting of an organism into parts that grow into new individuals.^[2][3]
3. (computing) The storing of a file in separate, scattered areas of a disk.^[2]
4. (sociology) The breakdown of the norms that govern behaviour, thought and social relationships.^[7]
5. The pieces of metal thrown out by an exploding shell or bomb; also used before a noun of weapons made to burst in this way.^[7][3]

Word family

• fragmentate
• fragmentation bomb
• fragmentation grenade

Related words

• fragment
• fraction
• fragile
• break

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
7. ^ a b c d Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins