stratify

[ strat-uh-fahy ]

/ ˈstræt əˌfaɪ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR stratify ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), strat·i·fied, strat·i·fy·ing.

to form or place in strata or layers.

to preserve or germinate (seeds) by placing them between layers of earth.

Sociology. to arrange in a hierarchical order, especially according to graded status levels.

verb (used without object), strat·i·fied, strat·i·fy·ing.

to form strata.

Geology. to lie in beds or layers.

Sociology. to develop hierarchically, especially as graded status levels.

RELATED WORDS

laminate, flake, plate

Nearby words

stratified epithelium, stratified random sample, stratified sample, stratiform, stratiformis, stratify, stratig., stratigraphy, strato-, stratocracy, stratocumulus

Origin of stratify

1655–65; modeled on New Latin strātificāre, equivalent to strāti- strati- + -ficāre -fy

Related formsde-strat·i·fy, verb (used with object), de-strat·i·fied, de-strat·i·fy·ing.mul·ti·strat·i·fied, adjectivenon·strat·i·fied, adjectivesem·i·strat·i·fied, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for stratify

A gas, as explained, is of such a character that it remains fixed and will not stratify or condense.
Motors|James Slough Zerbe
Society will stratify itself according to the laws of social gravitation.
A Mortal Antipathy|Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
It will stratify, and force itself onward through the adjacent and opposing atmosphere, and in a right line.
The Philosophy of the Weather|Thomas Belden Butler
But already the Mississippi Valley was beginning to stratify, both socially and geographically.
The Frontier in American History|Frederick Jackson Turner

British Dictionary definitions for stratify

stratify

/ (ˈstrætɪˌfaɪ) /

verb -fies, -fying or -fied

to form or be formed in layers or strata

(tr) to preserve or render fertile (seeds) by storing between layers of sand or earth

sociol to divide (a society) into horizontal status groups or (of a society) to develop such groups

Derived Formsstratified, adjective

Word Origin for stratify

C17: from French stratifier, from New Latin stratificāre, from Latin stratum

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 stratify

stratify

1660s, from French stratifier, from Modern Latin stratificare, from stratum (see stratum). Related: Stratified; stratifying.