5 definitions found

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

partition

noun

1: a vertical structure that divides or separates (as a wall divides one room from another) [syn: {divider}]

2: the act of dividing or partitioning; separation by the creation of a boundary that divides or keeps apart [syn: {division}, {partitioning}, {segmentation}, {sectionalization}, {sectionalisation}]

3: (computer science) the part of a hard disk that is dedicated to a particular operating system or application and accessed as a single unit

verb

1: divide into parts, pieces, or sections; "The Arab peninsula was partitioned by the British" [syn: {partition off}]

2: separate or apportion into sections; "partition a room off" [syn: {zone}]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:

Partition \Par*ti"tion\, verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Partitioned}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Partitioning}.]

1. To divide into parts or shares; to divide and distribute; as, to partition an estate among various heirs.

2. To divide into distinct parts by lines, walls, etc.; as, to partition a house.

Uniform without, though severally partitioned within. --Bacon.

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:

Partition \Par*ti"tion\, noun [F. partition, L. partitio. See {Part}, v.]

1. The act of parting or dividing; the state of being parted; separation; division; distribution; as, the partition of a kingdom.

And good from bad find no partition. --Shak.

2. That which divides or separates; that by which different things, or distinct parts of the same thing, are separated; separating boundary; dividing line or space; specifically, an interior wall dividing one part or apartment of a house, a compartment of a room, an inclosure, or the like, from another; as, a brick partition; lath and plaster partitions; cubicles with four-foot high partitions. [1913 Webster +PJC]

No sight could pass Betwixt the nice partitions of the grass. --Dryden.

3. A part divided off by walls; an apartment; a compartment. [R.] ''Lodged in a small partition.'' --Milton.

4. (Law.) The severance of common or undivided interests, particularly in real estate. It may be effected by consent of parties, or by compulsion of law.

5. (Mus.) A score.

{Partition of numbers} (Math.), the resolution of integers into parts subject to given conditions. --Brande & C.

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

133 Moby Thesaurus words for "partition": abstraction, alienation, allotment, apportion, apportioning, apportionment, area, barrier, bisector, booth, boundary, brattice, breaking up, budgeting, buffer, buffer state, bulkhead, bumper, carve, carve up, cell, chamber, cloison, collision mat, compartment, cushion, cut, cut up, cutting, cutting the pie, deal, detachment, diameter, diaphragm, disarticulation, disassociation, disburse, disconnectedness, disconnection, discontinuity, disengagement, disjointing, disjunction, dislocation, dispense, disperse, dissepiment, dissolution, distribution, district, disunion, divide, divide into shares, divide up, divide with, divider, dividing, dividing line, dividing wall, division, divorce, divorcement, divvy, divvy up, dole out, doling out, equator, fence off, fender, halfway mark, incoherence, interseptum, isolation, line of demarcation, luxation, mat, measure out, meting out, midriff, midsection, pad, panel, parcel, parcel out, parceling, paries, part, parting, partitioning, party wall, portion, portioning, property line, rationing, removal, repartition, room, rupture, screen, section, segment, segmentation, segmenting, separate, separation, separatism, separator, septulum, septum, set apart, share, share out, share with, sharing, sharing out, shock pad, slice, slice the pie, slice up, slicing, split, split up, split-up, splitting, stall, subdivide, subdivision, subtraction, wall, wall off, withdrawal, zone, zoning

From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03) [foldoc]:

partition

1. A {logical} section of a {disk}. Each partition normally has its own {file system}. {Unix} tends to treat partitions as though they were separate physical entities. 2. A division of a set into subsets so that each of its elements is in exactly one subset. (1996-12-09)
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