stratification

[strat-uh-fi-key-shuhn]

noun

1. the act or an instance of stratifying.

2. a stratified state or appearance.

   the stratification of ancient ruins from eight different periods.

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

   stratification of feudal society.

4. Geology.

   1. formation of strata; deposition or occurrence in strata.

   2. a stratum.

stratification

/ ˌstrætɪfɪˈkeɪʃən /

noun

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

2. the act of stratifying or state of being stratified

3. sociol See social stratification

stratification

1. Formation or deposition of layers, as of rock, sediments, or atmospheric regions.

stratification

1. The process by which materials form or are deposited in layers, as in sedimentary rocks and some igneous rocks.

The atmosphere and the ocean also exhibit stratification, with the warmer air or water occupying the upper layers.

Other Word Forms

• stratificational adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of stratification¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of stratification¹

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

Example Sentences

This influx of freshwater freshened the surface ocean, strengthening vertical stratification and preventing cold surface water from mixing downward.

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This interplay is governed by the layering, or stratification, of different water masses and by the strength of ocean currents.

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Peggy and William’s relationship overcomes social barriers having to do with class disparity and internalized racist stratification within the East Coast’s Black elite.

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Reale and other FireAid organizers admit that the scale of aid needed is staggering, universally painful yet fraught with class and racial stratification.

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The stratification that normally occurs at the end of September was stable.

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