Repartition

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. The process of dividing something anew and allocating its portions again, often to achieve a fairer or more efficient arrangement
2. Redistributing a whole into fresh divisions, such as reallocating land, data, or resources among new groups or sections
3. A renewed division of a total into shares, carried out by reassigning its parts to different holders or locations

Etymology: "Repartition" is simply "partition" with the prefix "re-" attached, so it means to divide again. The base word "partition" came into English from Middle French "partition," which in turn came from the Latin "partitio," meaning a division or distribution, built on "pars," "part." The prefix "re-" comes from Latin "re-," meaning "back" or "again," and is the same element found in words like "repeat" and "return." The Latin "re-" and "partitio" were combined in Middle French and then passed into English, so the English word is a compound of an inherited prefix and a borrowed noun. Because "partition" was already established as a term for splitting something into sections, adding "re-" gave speakers a ready way to describe a second division of the same whole, which is exactly how the word is used today for reallocating land, data, or resources among new groups.

Synonyms: division, partition, allocation

Antonyms: unification, merger