Divide
/dɪˈvaɪd/noun
To separate into parts or groups; to split something apart.
Did you know?Divide comes from Latin *dividere*, built from *dis-* (“apart”) + *videre* (“to separate”), a root that also lives in words like *video* and *vision* through the ancient idea of “seeing distinctly.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*weid-
“to see, know”
Latin
Latin
videre
“to see”
Latin
Latin
dividere
“to separate, split apart”
Old French
Old French
dividir
“to divide, distribute”
Middle English
English
dividen
“to separate into parts”
Modern English
English
divide
“to separate into parts or groups”