Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - division

 noun  Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French devision, from Latin ~-, divisio, from dividere to divide  Date: 14th century  1.  a. the act or process of dividing ; the state of being divided  b. the act, process, or an instance of distributing among a number ; distribution  c. obsolete a method of arranging or disposing (as troops)  2. one of the parts or groupings into which a whole is divided or is divisible  3. the condition or an instance of being divided in opinion or interest ; disagreement, disunity exploited the ~s between the two countries  4.  a. something that divides, separates, or marks off  b. the act, process, or an instance of separating or keeping apart ; separation  5. the mathematical operation of dividing something  6.  a. a self-contained major military unit capable of independent action  b. a tactical military unit composed of headquarters and usually three to five brigades  c.  (1) the basic naval administrative unit  (2) a tactical sub~ of a squadron of ships  d. a unit of the United States Air Force higher than a wing and lower than an air force  7.  a. a portion of a territorial unit marked off for a particular purpose (as administrative or judicial functions)  b. an administrative or operating unit of a governmental, business, or educational organization  8. the physical separation into different lobbies of the members of a parliamentary body voting for and against a question  9. plant propagation by dividing parts and planting segments capable of producing roots and shoots  10. a group of organisms forming part of a larger group; specifically a primary category of the plant kingdom in biological taxonomy that is typically equivalent to a phylum  11. a competitive class or category (as in boxing or wrestling)  Synonyms: see part  • ~al adjective