Split

We explain what it means to split in general and its specific meaning in various areas of knowledge. Also, its synonyms and antonyms.

In the image taken with a microscope you can see the cells dividing.
A cell splits when it divides into two new ones, that is, when it multiplies.

What is splitting?

Split means to separate, divide or cut something into two or more parts. It is a verb from Latin scinderetranslatable as “split”, “split” or “tear”, and is a polysemic term, that is, it has numerous specific meanings in fields as different as medicine, law, physics or the business world.

In general, when talking about splitrefers to the separation of one thing from another, often so that it leads an independent existence or conforms to a whole according to its own measure. For example, if the wing of a political party split of the rest, it generally means that there were irreconcilable differences that motivated the abandonment of the ranks of the party, in order to create a new one. The latter will be, in this sense, a cleavage from the previous one.

In this sense the verb is used split In most of its contexts:

  • In administrative languagea public limited company can split in two or more pre-existing or newly created companies. For example: “Our company split of an international corporate consortium in 1990.”
  • In commercial languagethe assets of a company can split totally or partially, when the estimated amount is delivered to its partners according to their shares. For example: “The company's assets are split partially before the fall of its shares.”
  • In scientific languagethe cleavage of an atom or a cell has to do with its breakdown: an atom breaks split into other lighter atoms, while a cell split when it is divided into two new ones, that is, when it is multiplied. For example: “The splitting of the nucleus of a hydrogen atom releases enormous amounts of energy.”
  • In medical languagethere is talk of cleavage to refer to the tearing of the skin using a scalpel, or to the removal of an organ, or the separation of two conjoined individuals. For example: “To insert the catheter, a cleavage three centimeters above the muscle.”
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They are synonymous with splitting: break, cut, divide, separate, fissure, divorce. And they are antonyms, therefore: unite, join, reunite, merge, integrate and reconcile.

Continue with: Subjected

References

  • “Escindir” in the Dictionary of the Language of the Royal Spanish Academy.
  • “Excision” in the Pan-Hispanic Dictionary of Legal Spanish of the Royal Spanish Academy.
  • “Information about Escindir” in the Online Spanish Etymological Dictionary.
  • “Split” in Lawi.