1610s, from French intégration and directly from Latin integrationem (nominative integratio) "renewal, restoration," noun of action from past participle stem of integrare (see integrate). Anti-discrimination sense is recorded from 1940 in a S.African context.
integration in·te·gra·tion (ĭn'tĭ-grā'shən)
n.
The state of combination or the process of combining into completeness and harmony.
The organization of the psychological or social traits and tendencies of a personality into a harmonious whole.
A physiological increase or building up, as by accretion or anabolism.
A recombination event in which a genetic element is inserted.
integration (ĭn'tĭ-grā'shən) In calculus, the process of calculating an integral. Integration is the inverse of differentiation, since integrating a given function results in a function whose derivative is the given function. Integration is used in the calculation of such things as the areas and volumes of irregular shapes and solids. Compare differentiation. |
The free association of people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds (see ethnicity); a goal of the civil rights movement to overcome policies of segregation that have been practiced in the United States.
Note: Those favoring integration of schools by such forceful means as busing or affirmative action have frequently argued that integration of schools will lead to integration of society as a whole. (See separate but equal.)
programming
Combining software or hardware components or both into an overall system.
(1996-05-22)