Etymologically
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fragmentation

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Pronunciation

  • /ˌfɹæɡmənˈteɪ̯ʃən/[1]
  • US: /ˌfɹeɪ̯ɡmənˈteɪ̯ʃən/[1]

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

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