Fragmentation (/ˌfɹæɡmɛnˈteɪʃən/) is the act of breaking something into fragments or parts. The word is spelled with the letter "m" rather than "n" because it derives from the Latin word "fragmentum," which also has an "m." The pronunciation uses a soft "g" sound followed by an "a" sound, an "m," an "e," and a soft "t" sound. Finally, there is a vowel sound represented by the symbol "ə" and an accent on the second to last syllable.
Fragmentation refers to the act or process of breaking or dividing something into smaller parts or fragments. The resulting fragments may be distinct entities or components that were once a whole. This term can be applied to various contexts, including physical, biological, social, and technological realms.
In physics, fragmentation may refer to the disintegration of matter, such as when a solid object shatters into smaller pieces due to external forces. In biology, fragmentation describes the reproductive strategy exhibited by certain organisms, where a parent organism breaks into fragments that individually develop into new organisms.
Moreover, in social sciences, fragmentation refers to the division or separation of a society or community into smaller groups with distinct identities, interests, or ideologies. This societal fragmentation often arises from factors such as cultural differences, political divisions, or socioeconomic disparities.
In the realm of technology and computing, fragmentation typically pertains to the splitting of data or files into smaller units, resulting in scattered pieces of information. This can occur due to different factors like file system inconsistencies, data storage issues, or inefficient memory management.
Overall, fragmentation entails the breaking apart or division of something that was previously whole, resulting in smaller parts or pieces that may possess their own distinct characteristics or functions.
A breaking up into fragments or small parts.
A practical medical dictionary. By Stedman, Thomas Lathrop. Published 1920.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "fragmentation" has its origin in the Latin word "fragmentum", which means a broken piece or fragment. It is derived from the verb "frangere", which means to break. Over time, the word "fragmentation" came to be used to describe the act or process of breaking or dividing something into smaller parts or fragments.