fragmentation

[frag-muhn-tey-shuhn]

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

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of fragmentation¹

First recorded in 1880–85; fragment + -ation

Example Sentences

The government has said it will take over the running and management of the tracks and trains, "ending years of fragmentation, driving up standards for passengers, and making journey easier and better value for money".

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"If every Party could footnote core terms like finance, ambition or equity, we would have no negotiation left -- only fragmentation. Gender equality is an agreed principle under this Convention -- it needs no qualification."

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Unfortunately, probably the greatest current threat to giant pandas—and to their reintroduction success—is the severe fragmentation of their habitat.

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“Even if short-term sentiment softens and new user growth slows, structural trends like rising debt levels, monetary expansion and geopolitical fragmentation continue to favor scarce, decentralized assets,” said Holmes.

Read more on MarketWatch

Analysts are watching closely to see whether this public clash will lead to long-term fragmentation or a recalibration of power within the GOP’s right flank.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• crack 
• fissure 
• wound 

When To Use

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.