fragmentation
/fræɡmɛnˌteɪʃən/ · frag·men·ta·tion
noun
- The act of fragmenting or something fragmented; disintegration. The fragmentation of the company led to a significant loss of jobs and revenue.
- The process by which fragments of an exploding bomb scatter. The fragmentation of the bomb caused widespread damage and injuries.
- The breaking up and dispersal of a file into non-contiguous areas of a disk. The fragmentation of the hard drive slowed down the computer's performance and required defragmentation.
Did you know? The term 'fragmentation' is also used in social sciences to describe the breakdown of social structures, such as communities or societies, into smaller, more isolated groups.