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segregate

SEG-ruh-gayt /ˈseɡ.rɪ.ɡeɪt/

verbB2SATTOEFLIELTS

generalacademic

To set apart or isolate from others, especially along racial, ethnic, or social lines.

Implies enforcing physical or social separation between distinct groups of people.

The story behind the word. Derived from Latin 'se-' (apart) and 'grex' (flock). Shepherds literally 'segregated' diseased or distinct sheep from the main flock.

Word relationships

isolate: Isolate usually refers to separating one entity completely, while segregate refers to separating groups into distinct divisions.
partition: Partition means physically dividing a territory or space, whereas segregate focuses on separating groups of people.

integrate: Integrate means bringing diverse groups together into a unified whole.

Commonly confused with

aggregate: Aggregate means to gather separate items into a single mass; segregate means to split a group apart.

Word family

segregation (noun): The enforcement or state of keeping people apart.
segregated (adjective): Separated along demographic or spatial lines.

Collocations

segregate populations
segregate by race
systematically segregate

Example sentences

"In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled that state laws establishing separate public schools for Black and white students to segregate children were unconstitutional." Civil rights legal decision (Brown v. Board of Education Ruling)
"Restrictive zoning laws continue to segregate urban populations by income levels." Urban demographics

Memory hook

SE- (apart) + GREG (flock) = keeping part of the flock apart from the rest. Separate from the sheep flock.

When not to use

Do not use to describe sorting inanimate objects into categories unless drawing a deliberate metaphor about social separation.

Fun facts

Sociologists distinguish between 'de jure' segregation (enforced by law) and 'de facto' segregation (occurring through custom and economic reality).