- division
-
—divisional, divisionary, adj. —divisionally, adv./di vizh"euhn/, n.1. the act or process of dividing; state of being divided.2. Arith. the operation inverse to multiplication; the finding of a quantity, the quotient, that when multiplied by a given quantity, the divisor, gives another given quantity, the dividend; the process of ascertaining how many times one number or quantity is contained in another.3. something that divides or separates; partition.4. something that marks a division; dividing line or mark.5. one of the parts into which a thing is divided; section.6. separation by difference of opinion or feeling; disagreement; dissension.7. Govt. the separation of a legislature, or the like, into two groups, in taking a vote.8. one of the parts into which a country or an organization is divided for political, judicial, military, or other purposes.9. Mil.a. (in the army) a major administrative and tactical unit, larger than a regiment or brigade and smaller than a corps: it is usually commanded by a major general.b. (in the navy) a number of ships, usually four, forming a tactical group that is part of a fleet or squadron.10. a major autonomous or semi-independent but subordinate administrative unit of an industrial enterprise, government bureau, transportation system, or university: the sales division of our company; the Division of Humanities.11. (in sports) a category or class containing all the teams or competitors grouped together according to standing, skill, weight, age, or the like: a team in the first division; the heavyweight division in boxing.12. Bot. a major primary subdivision of the plant kingdom, consisting of one or more classes; plant phylum.13. Zool. any subdivision of a classificatory group or category.14. Hort. a type of propagation in which new plants are grown from segments separated from the parent plant.15. the ornamentation of a melodic line in 17th- and 18th-century music.[1325-75; ME divisioun, devisioun ( < AF) < L division- (s. of divisio), equiv. to divis(us) (see DIVISIBLE) + -ion- -ION]Syn. 1. separation, apportionment, allotment, distribution. DIVISION, PARTITION suggest dividing into parts. DIVISION usually means marking off or separating a whole into parts. PARTITION often adds the idea of allotting or assigning parts following division: partition of an estate, of a country. 4. boundary, demarcation. 5. compartment, segment. 6. breach, rift, disunion, rupture, estrangement, alienation.Ant. 6. accord, union.
* * *
(as used in expressions)* * *
in modern military organizations, the smallest formation that comprises a balanced team of all the arms and services needed for the independent conduct of operations. It usually numbers between 12,000 and 20,000 men and is commanded by a major general. In naval usage a division is a group of ships, usually four, forming part of a squadron or task force. It also denotes units into which a ship's company is divided for administrative purposes. The term air division denotes a command within an air force, containing two or more wings organized to perform an operational mission such as bombardment, fighter interception, reconnaissance, or airlift.The military strength of an army for the conduct of war may be roughly measured by the number and quality of the divisions it can bring to bear against an enemy. Divisions, together with additional supporting combat and service troops, are formed into corps and field armies for the conduct of military campaigns.To meet specialized requirements in warfare, divisions have evolved into several types, falling within two general classifications: infantry and armoured. Infantry divisions, known as rifle divisions in the Russian army, are organized and equipped for combat under all conditions of terrain and weather; they comprise the principal portion of the fighting forces of an army. An infantry division consists chiefly of foot soldiers equipped with light weapons but also includes supporting artillery, armour, and engineer units and has its own communication, supply, maintenance, and evacuation services. Divisions of this general type, when modified by the introduction of light equipment and given special training, may perform specialized roles. Examples are airborne (parachute) divisions and mountain (Alpine) divisions. Some armies also have formed motorized (in American usage, mechanized) divisions by adding truck transport and light armoured vehicles sufficient to mount all the troops of an infantry division. The armoured, or (except in American usage) mechanized, division also contains elements of all arms and services but is comparatively much stronger in tank forces than the infantry division. When faced by defenses in depth, the tanks, infantry, engineers, artillery, and antitank weapons of a division work as a coordinated team.* * *
Universalium. 2010.
