# divide

Pronunciation: say "di-VYD" /dɪˈvaɪd/

## Verb

1. To separate something so that it forms two or more parts or sections.
   - Simple: To split something into two or more parts.
   - _Engineers divide the project into manageable phases._
   - _The fence divides the property into two sections._
2. To break apart into two or more separate parts.
   - Simple: To split apart into two or more parts.
   - _The trail divides at the summit._
   - _Rivers divide into many channels as they near the sea._
3. To share something out by splitting it into portions.
   - Simple: To split something up so each person gets a part.
   - _They divided the prize money equally between the two winners._
   - _The siblings divide household chores fairly each week._
4. To find the quotient: how many times one number is contained in another.
   - Simple: To find how many times one number fits into another.
   - _When you divide 144 by 12, the quotient is 12._
   - _The student divided the larger figure by the divisor and checked the result._
5. To set the members of a group against one another in opinion.
   - Simple: To make a group of people argue or take different sides.
   - _The controversial ruling divided public opinion sharply._
   - _Issues like this divide voters along generational lines._
7. To set people at odds, making them hostile or discordant in opinion or interest.
   - Simple: To turn people against each other so they become unfriendly.
   - _Long-standing rivalries divided the council into hostile blocs._
   - _Petty jealousies divide otherwise loyal companions._
10. Of a cell, to reproduce by splitting into two or more new cells.
   - Simple: When a cell splits into two to create more cells.
   - _Stem cells divide rapidly during the early stages of development._
   - _Bacteria can divide every twenty minutes under ideal conditions._
13. To be a divisor of a given number, going into it a whole number of times with no remainder.
   - Simple: To go into another number an exact number of times, with nothing left over.
   - _Factors divide their multiples exactly._
   - _Seven divides forty-nine exactly._
14. To vote, as in a parliament, by separating into two groups, the supporters on one side and the opponents on the other.
   - Simple: To vote in a parliament by splitting into two groups, one for and one against.
   - _After hours of argument, the members divide to register their votes._
   - _Parliament divided along party lines on the funding measure._
15. To mark something with the lines of a measuring scale; to graduate.
   - Simple: To mark a tool or scale with lines that show measured amounts.
   - _Instrument makers divide the brass arc into precise degrees._
   - _He carefully divided the thermometer's stem before sealing it._
16. To play or sing in a florid style, breaking longer notes into elaborate runs and variations.
   - Simple: To play or sing music with fast, fancy runs added to a simple tune.
   - _Baroque viol players often divide upon a simple ground bass._
   - _The lutenist divided the melody with rapid ornamental passages._

## Noun

6. A widening separation or gap between two people or things.
   - Simple: A growing gap or distance between two people or things.
   - _The cultural divide between the generations seemed impossible to bridge._
   - _A growing divide separated the party's two factions._
8. A ridge or crest forming the boundary between two adjacent drainage basins.
   - Simple: A ridge of high land that separates two river systems.
   - _The continental divide runs along the spine of the Rocky Mountains._
   - _Water on either side of the divide drains into separate watersheds._
9. A large chasm, gorge, or ravine separating two stretches of land.
   - Simple: A deep, wide gap in the land between two areas.
   - _The trail ended abruptly at a yawning divide too wide to cross._
   - _Erosion over millennia had cut a dramatic divide through the plateau._
11. An instance of separating something into two or more parts.
   - Simple: The act of splitting something into separate parts.
   - _The divide of the estate among the siblings was settled in court._
   - _A clean divide of responsibilities prevented confusion later._
12. Something that separates two areas, groups, or things from each other.
   - Simple: Something that separates one area or group from another.
   - _The river serves as the divide between the eastern and western districts._
   - _A central aisle forms the divide between the two seating areas._

## Verb

17. To break off a friendship; to fall out with someone. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To stop being friends with someone and have a falling out.
18. To have a share in something; to partake. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To have a share in something and take part with others.
   - _All who fought would divide in the king's bounty._
   - _The crew divided in the profits of the voyage._

## Origin

This word comes from Middle English dividen, from the Latin dīvidere ("to divide"). It replaced the native Old English word tōdǣlan.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/divide (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).