segregation
seg-ruh-GAY-shun
/ˌsɛɡrɪˈɡeɪʃən/
The enforced or voluntary separation of a group of people based on race, class, ethnicity, or gender.
Implies physical or institutional division that frequently leads to unequal facilities and opportunities.
The story behind the word. From Latin 'segregare', literally meaning 'to separate from the flock' (se- = apart, grex = flock). Originally an agricultural term for separating diseased or specific sheep from the main herd, it later took on heavy civil rights significance.
Word relationships
- separation: Separation is a neutral term, whereas segregation carries historical weight regarding prejudice and policy-driven division.
- isolation: Isolation suggests keeping a single group or individual away from everyone; segregation suggests dividing groups apart.
- desegregation: The elimination of laws or practices that separate people by race or class.
- integration: Bringing diverse groups together into equal social membership.
Commonly confused with
- aggregation: Aggregation means gathering items together into a whole; segregation means separating them apart.
Word family
- segregate (verb): To set apart or isolate standard groups.
- desegregation (noun): The act of ending policy-enforced segregation.
Collocations
- racial segregation
- de facto segregation
- residential segregation
- school segregation
Example sentences
- "Decades after legal residential segregation was overturned, housing patterns continue to create de facto educational separation in major metropolitan areas." Historical analysis of urban education
Memory hook
SE (separate) + GREG (flock) = separate from the herd/flock. Separate from the flock.
When not to use
Do not use to describe simple, benign sorting of inanimate objects unless implying strict isolation.
Fun facts
- Words sharing the same 'grex' root include 'congregate' (gather with the flock) and 'egregious' (standing out from the flock).
Related words
Explore more words
segregate, desegregation, single-sex, ghetto, ghettoize, discriminatory
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