subdivision
SUB-dih-vih-zhun
/ˈsʌbdɪˌvɪʒən/
A tract of land divided into individual building lots for residential housing developments.
Refers specifically to planned suburban housing estates built by commercial real estate developers.
The story behind the word. Combines Latin 'sub-' (under/further down) with 'divisio' (sharing or partition). In property law, it described taking an already measured parcel of land and dividing it into smaller sub-plots.
Word relationships
- housing estate: Housing estate is the preferred British term, whereas subdivision is widely used in North American real estate.
- development: Development is a general term for any newly built structure or land use.
- unpartitioned land: Refers to a single undivided parcel or tract of land.
Commonly confused with
- subdivision vs neighborhood: A neighborhood is a social community; a subdivision is a specific real estate parcel divided into housing plots.
Word family
- subdivide (verb): To divide a part of something into smaller parts.
Collocations
- housing subdivision
- residential subdivision
- new subdivision
- subdivision layout
Example sentences
- "The new housing subdivision was constructed quickly, introducing hundreds of single-family homes with identical floor plans." Real Estate Report
Memory hook
SUB (under/smaller) + DIVISION = dividing land into smaller residential lots. Dividing land into suburban plots.
When not to use
Do not use for unplanned informal settlements or dense single urban high-rise towers.
Fun facts
- Levittown, New York, built in 1947, is widely considered the prototype for modern American housing subdivisions.
Explore more words
zoning, suburb, redevelopment, suburbanite, rezoning, high-density
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