fragmentation

American  

[frag-muhn-tey-shuhn] / ˌfræg mənˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of fragmenting; state of being fragmented.

2. the disintegration, collapse, or breakdown of norms of thought, behavior, or social relationship.

3. the pieces of an exploded fragmentation bomb or grenade.

4. Computers. the process or result of storing data from a file in noncontiguous sectors on a disk drive. As files are created, modified, deleted, etc., the files are split into smaller pieces and the remaining free space on the disk is broken up, slowing down data access speed on the disk.

---

fragmentation Scientific  

/ frăg′mən-tā′shən /

1. The scattering of parts of a computer file across different regions of a disk. Fragmentation occurs when the operating system breaks up the file and stores it in locations left vacant by previously deleted files. The more fragmented the file, the slower it is to retrieve, since each piece of the file must be identified and located on the disk.

---

Usage

What does fragmentation mean? Fragmentation most generally means the process of fragmenting—breaking into pieces or being divided into parts. It can also refer to the state or result of being broken up or having been divided.As a noun, fragment can refer to a part that has broken off (as in a bone fragment) or one that has been intentionally separated from a whole (as in I tore off a fragment of the map).Fragmentation often involves the division of something into smaller parts or groups, as in The fragmentation of voters means that it will be much harder to build a coalition of supporters.Fragmentation can also refer to the process of falling apart or disintegrating, especially in the context of abstract or intangible things, as in The fragmentation of the empire has resulted in multiple warring states. Such things can be described with the adjective fragmented.It sometimes refers to the collapse or breakdown of certain norms, behaviors, or institutions, as in the fragmentation of society. Fragmentation is also used as a verb in a much more specific way in the context of computers, in which it refers to the storing of data files in a way that breaks them up. The opposite of this sense of fragmentation is defragmentation—the process of bringing the parts of the files back together.The verb fragmentate, which comes from fragmentation, means the same thing as the verb fragment—to separate something into parts or to break it into fragments. The verb fragmentize means the same thing.Example: The fragmentation and isolation of so many sectors of society has caused us to become more divided than ever.

Etymology

Origin of fragmentation

First recorded in 1880–85; fragment + -ation

Example Sentences

It provides strong evidence that fish relying on connected rivers across national borders are declining quickly due to dam construction, habitat fragmentation, pollution, overfishing, and climate-related ecosystem changes.

From Science Daily

The previously overlooked impact of fragmentation — the breaking up of global energy markets, trade and finance — is becoming an active driver of market dynamics.

From MarketWatch

Psychological trauma, social fragmentation, and economic dislocation are persistent scars that can span generations.

From Salon

Swiss ambassador to the WTO Erwin Bollinger agreed, warning that a loss of relevance by the WTO could "lead to more fragmentation of the trading system".

From Barron's

“That fragmentation has been slowing us down and making it harder to hit the quality bar we want.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• crack
• fissure
• wound