Disintegration

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /dɪs.ɪn.tɪˈɡɹeɪ.ʃən/

Definitions

1. The act of a whole separating into parts or particles occurs while structural integrity diminishes and results in fragmentation or decay
2. The phenomenon in which a cohesive whole breaks apart into smaller pieces or elements occurs, often leading to deterioration or collapse of form
3. The process by which a unified structure loses its cohesion and separates into individual fragments

Etymology: "Disintegration" is a plain formation in English: it is built from "disintegrate" plus the suffix "-ion", or alternatively from the prefix "dis-" attached to "integration." Either route leads to the same core idea. "Integrate" comes from the Latin "integer," meaning whole or untouched, so "integration" is the making of a whole, and "dis-" reverses it: the whole is undone. The base sense is therefore literal and physical, the undoing of a unified body into its parts, before it came to describe abstract wholes such as societies, personalities or theories. The word's meaning is thus carried by its two parts, with the negative prefix doing the reversing work.

Synonyms: fragmentation, breakdown, dissolution, decomposition, collapse

Antonyms: integration, consolidation, unity, cohesion, assembly