stratification

[ strat-uh-fi-key-shuh n ]

/ ˌstræt ə fɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR stratification ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act or an instance of stratifying.

a stratified state or appearance: the stratification of ancient ruins from eight different periods.

Also called social stratification. Sociology. the hierarchical or vertical division of society according to rank, caste, or class: stratification of feudal society.

Geology.

formation of strata; deposition or occurrence in strata.
a stratum.

Nearby words

Origin of stratification

First recorded in 1610–20, stratification is from the Medieval Latin word strātificātiōn- (stem of strātificātiō). See strati-, -fication

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for stratification

The stratification of the blogosphere was an inevitable consequence of freedom of choice.
What Liberal Bloggers Can Teach the Right|Reihan Salam|July 24, 2010|DAILY BEAST
This shows a connection between the orientation of the egg in the wall of the ovary and its stratification.
The Organism as a Whole|Jacques Loeb
We could detect no appearance of stratification, each mound having been built at one time and not by successive additions.
Burial Mounds of the Northern Sections of the United States|Cyrus Thomas
His theory of the stratification extends over the whole antediluvian era.
Omphalos|Philip Henry Gosse

Stratification in meteorites, however, is denied by the faithful.
The Book of the Damned|Charles Fort
Instead of wearing thin they wear thick, and in their stratification have no small geological significance.
My First Summer in the Sierra|John Muir

British Dictionary definitions for stratification

stratification

/ (ˌstrætɪfɪˈkeɪʃən) /

noun

the arrangement of sedimentary rocks in distinct layers (strata), each layer representing the sediment deposited over a specific period

the act of stratifying or state of being stratified

sociol See social stratification

Derived Formsstratificational, adjective

Word Origin for stratification

C17 (in the obsolete sense: the act of depositing in layers) and C18 (in the current senses): from New Latin strātificātiōnem, from stratificāre to stratify

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 stratification

stratification

1610s, from Modern Latin stratificationem (nominative stratificatio), noun of action from past participle stem of stratificare "to form strata," from stratum "thing spread out" + root of facere "to make" (see factitious).

Medicine definitions for stratification