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compartmentalize

[kuh m-pahrt-men-tl-ahyz, kom-pahrt-]
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verb (used with object), com·part·men·tal·ized, com·part·men·tal·iz·ing.
  1. to divide into categories or compartments.
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Also especially British, com·part·men·tal·ise.

Origin of compartmentalize

First recorded in 1920–25; compartmental + -ize
Related formscom·part·men·tal·i·za·tion, nounde·com·part·men·tal·i·za·tion, nounde·com·part·men·tal·ize, verb (used with object), de·com·part·men·tal·ized, de·com·part·men·tal·iz·ing.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

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British Dictionary definitions for compartmentalize

compartmentalize

compartmentalise

verb
  1. (usually tr) to put or divide into (compartments, categories, etc), esp to an excessive degree
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Derived Formscompartmentalization or compartmentalisation, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for compartmentalize

v.

1918, from compartmental + -ize. Related: Compartmentalized; compartmentalizing.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper