Divy

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To divide or distribute something among recipients, often in an informal or casual manner ; to share or allocate portions or shares of a whole among multiple parties ; to apportion or assign parts or sections of resources or items to different individuals
2. To break into parts and give out to others, typically in a non-official way ; to hand out or parcel out something by splitting it into segments or shares ; to split and assign segments or shares of a whole for distribution among people
3. To split and share things between people informally ; to distribute or allocate items, money, or responsibilities in parts ; to separate a whole into portions and give to various persons or groups

Etymology: "Divy" is an alternative spelling of "divvy," and the most common story about it is a clipping of "dividend." Dividend itself comes from Latin "dividendum," meaning "something to be divided," and the shortened "divvy" took on the casual sense of splitting a sum or pile among a group. The "-y" ending is a familiar informal suffix, as in "hanky" or "movie." Its exact origin is unclear. Several guesses circulate, including a corruption of "Davy lamp," the safety lamp miners used, and a link to "divot," meaning a piece of turf, which would be a euphemism for "sod." None of these is well supported, so the dividend clipping remains the most plausible account.

Synonyms: divide, share, split, allocate, apportion

Antonyms: combine, unite, join, merge