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segregate

 - 7 dictionary results

seg⋅re⋅gate

  [v. seg-ri-geyt; n. seg-ri-git, -geyt] verb, -gat⋅ed, -gat⋅ing, noun
Use segregate in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to separate or set apart from others or from the main body or group; isolate: to segregate exceptional children; to segregate hardened criminals.
2. to require, often with force, the separation of (a specific racial, religious, or other group) from the general body of society.
–verb (used without object)
3. to separate, withdraw, or go apart; separate from the main body and collect in one place; become segregated.
4. to practice, require, or enforce segregation, esp. racial segregation.
5. Genetics. (of allelic genes) to separate during meiosis.
–noun
6. a segregated thing, person, or group.
Origin:
1400–50 in sense “segregated”; 1535–45 as transit. v.; late ME segregat < L sēgregātus (ptp. of sēgregāre to part from the flock), equiv. to sē- se- + greg- (s. of grex flock) + -ātus -ate 1 ; see gregarious

Related forms:
seg⋅re⋅ga⋅ble  [seg-ri-guh-buhl] , adjective
seg⋅re⋅ga⋅tive, adjective

Antonyms:
1. integrate.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To segregate
seg·re·gant   (sěg'rĭ-gənt)   
adj.  Differing from either parent as a result of segregation: a segregant genotype.
n.  A segregant type or organism. Also called segregate.
seg·re·gate   (sěg'rĭ-gāt')   
v.   seg·re·gat·ed, seg·re·gat·ing, seg·re·gates

v.   tr.

  1. To separate or isolate from others or from a main body or group. See Synonyms at isolate.

  2. To impose the separation of (a race or class) from the rest of society.

v.   intr.

  1. To become separated from a main body or mass.

  2. To practice a policy of racial segregation.

  3. Genetics To undergo genetic segregation.

adj.   (-gĭt, -gāt')
Separated; isolated.
n.   (-gĭt, -gāt')

  1. One that is or has been segregated.

  2. Genetics See segregant.


[Latin sēgregāre, sēgregāt- : sē-, apart; see s(w)e- in Indo-European roots + grex, greg-, flock; see ger- in Indo-European roots.]
seg're·ga'tive adj., seg're·ga'tor n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

segregate 
1542, from L. segregatus, pp. of segregare "separate from the flock, isolate, divide," from *se gregare, from se "apart from" (see secret) + grege, ablative of grex "herd, flock." Originally often with ref. to the religious notion of separating the flock of the godly from sinners. Segregation (1555) is from L.L. segregatio, from L. segregatus; in the specific U.S. racial sense it is attested from 1903; segregationist is from the 1920s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: seg·re·gate
Pronunciation: 'se-gri-"gAt
Function: verb
Inflected Forms: -gat·ed; -gat·ing
transitive verb : to cause or force the separation of; specifically : to separate (persons) on the basis of race, religion, or national origin intransitive verb : to practice or enforce a policy of segregation —seg·re·ga·tive /-"gA-tiv/ adjective
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 1seg·re·gate
Pronunciation: 'seg-ri-"gAt
Function: intransitive verb
Inflected Forms: -gat·ed;-gat·ing
: to undergo genetic segregation

Main Entry: 2seg·re·gate
Pronunciation: -g&t
Function: noun
: an individual or class of individuals differing in one or moregenetic characters from the parental line usually because of segregation of genes
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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