segmentation

[seg-muh n-tey-shuh n] /ˌsɛg mənˈteɪ ʃən/
noun
1.
division into segments.
2.
Biology.
  1. the subdivision of an organism or of an organ into more or less equivalent parts.
  2. cell division.
Origin
1850-55; segment + -ation
Related forms
nonsegmentation, noun
British Dictionary definitions for segmentation

segmentation

/ˌsɛɡmɛnˈteɪʃən/
noun
1.
the act or an instance of dividing into segments
2.
(embryol) another name for cleavage (sense 4)
3.
(zoology) another name for metamerism (sense 1)
Word Origin and History for segmentation
n.

1650s, "a cutting in small pieces;" 1851 of cells, from segment (v.) + -ation.

segmentation in Medicine

segmentation seg·men·ta·tion (sěg'mən-tā'shən, -měn-)
n.
See cleavage.

segmentation in Technology

networking
(Or "segmentation and reassembly", SAR) Breaking an arbitrary size packet into smaller pieces at the transmitter. This may be necessary because of restrictions in the communications channel or to reduce latency. The pieces are joined back together in the right order at the receiver ("reassembly"). Segmentation may be performed by a router when routing a packet to a network with a smaller maximum packet size.
The term "segmentation" is used in ATM, in TCP/IP, it is called "fragmentation" an is performed at the IP layer before the "fragments" are passed to the transport layer.
See for example ATM forum UNI 4.0 specification.
[Better reasons?]
(1999-06-14)