Divisioun

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act of splitting something into parts or keeping things apart ; a particular section or portion cut from a larger whole ; a quarrel or strife that sets people against one another
2. Separating a thing into distinct pieces or setting parts apart ; one of the sections or shares that a whole has been cut into ; dissension or conflict that breaks people into opposing camps
3. Dividing something up or keeping its components apart ; a segment or allotted share of a larger body ; contention and hostility that cause people to fall out with each other

Etymology: "Divisioun" is the Middle English spelling of "division." English borrowed the noun from Old French "division," which came from Latin "divisio," a derivative of "dividere," meaning "to divide." The same Latin stem gives English "divide," "divisor," and "dividend." The spelling with "-ioun" likely reflects how Old French and Anglo-Norman scribes wrote the sound of the ending, which was closer to "-yoon" than to the "-shun" we use now. English spelling and pronunciation later settled on the modern form.