stratify
STRAT-ih-fye
/ˈstrætɪfaɪ/
To arrange or classify into distinct categorical layers, social classes, or hierarchical strata.
Stratify emphasizes the division of a whole population or system into horizontal layers with differing levels of privilege, rank, or composition.
The story behind the word. Geologists in the 18th century first used 'stratify' to describe how sedimentary rock builds up in visible horizontal strata over millions of years. During the Industrial Revolution, sociologists borrowed the metaphor to explain how industrial societies separate into permanent socioeconomic classes.
Word relationships
- layer: 'Layer' is a simple physical verb, whereas 'stratify' is an academic term describing structural or sociological division.
- categorize: 'Categorize' groups items by features without implying hierarchical status, whereas 'stratify' implies distinct ranks or social levels.
- integrate: 'Integrate' means combining disparate groups into an equal, unified whole.
- equalize: 'Equalize' means eliminating rank-based differences between layers.
Commonly confused with
- stupefy: 'Stupefy' means to shock or daze; 'stratify' means to arrange into distinct layers.
Word family
- stratification (noun): The condition of being divided into social or structural layers.
- stratified (adjective): Formed into or arranged in distinct horizontal layers.
Collocations
- stratify society
- highly stratified
- stratified sample
- stratified layers
Idioms & expressions
- divided along class lines
Example sentences
- "Unchecked economic inequality tends to stratify society into rigid socio-economic classes that rarely interact." Sociological examination of economic systems
- "Just as rock formations stratify over millenniums, corporate organizations stratify over decades into insular management layers." Geological and sociological parallel analysis
Memory hook
Stratify creates STRATA (layers), like geological rock layers or social classes. Form into distinct social layers.
When not to use
Do not use stratify to describe mixing things homogeneously into a single unified blend.
Fun facts
- In statistics, a 'stratified sample' divides a population into subpopulations (strata) before sampling to guarantee that every subgroup is represented fairly.
Related words
Also appears in
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