segmentation
Dividing into parts
Segmentation is the act or process of dividing something into segments—distinct sections or parts.
In biology, segmentation describes the division of a body into repeating units, as in earthworms or the early cell divisions of an embryo.
In marketing, market segmentation divides consumers into groups based on shared characteristics.
The word applies wherever something continuous gets partitioned: audience segmentation, image segmentation in computer vision.
Barrier separating spaces
- subdivisionPortion of something larger
- sectionDistinct divided part
- slicePortion cut off
- fragmentIncomplete portion of whole
piece · splitting · bifurcation · trisection · quadrant · halving · breakdown · dissection
Arranging into groups
- taxonomyScience of categorical arrangement
- typologyClassification by shared traits
- groupingArrangement by shared traits
- sortingArranging into sequence
labeling · coding · binning · clustering · indexing · systematization · organization · subdivision
Parent splitting into offspring
- body planOrganism's fundamental structural arrangement
- cleavageTendency to split cleanly
- morphogenesisDevelopmental shape emergence
- blastomereEarly embryonic cell
Division into distinct levels
- layersStacked levels or coatings
- strataParallel geological layers
- sedimentationParticles settling in liquid
- laminationsLayered sheet bonding
rock formation · deposition · core sampling · cross-bedding · facies
Formal boundary setting
- borderlineEdge of acceptability
- dividing lineBoundary between regions
- cutoffPoint of termination
- thresholdPoint of beginning
edge · contour · perimeter · outline · delimiter · breakpoint · interface · juncture
Statistical population characteristics
- psychographicsConsumer personality-based segmentation
- target marketIntended consumer group
- nicheRecessed wall space
- B2BEnterprise-to-enterprise commerce
B2C · positioning · differentiation · market research · consumer behavior · cohort
Division into spoken units
- tokenizationConverting input into discrete units
- parsingGrammatical structure extraction
- speech recognitionMachines understanding human talk
- chunkingDividing into manageable parts
Finding boundaries in images
- thresholdingApplying a cutoff value
- maskingConcealing by covering
- contouringShaping with highlights, shadows
- annotationAdded explanatory comment
partition
Barrier separating spaces
- subdivisionPortion of something larger
- sectionDistinct divided part
- slicePortion cut off
fragment · piece · splitting · bifurcation · trisection · quadrant · halving · breakdown · dissection · carve-up
categorization
Arranging into groups
- taxonomyScience of categorical arrangement
- typologyClassification by shared traits
- groupingArrangement by shared traits
sorting · labeling · coding · binning · clustering · indexing · systematization · organization · subdivision · ranking
cell division
Parent splitting into offspring
- body planOrganism's fundamental structural arrangement
- cleavageTendency to split cleanly
- morphogenesisDevelopmental shape emergence
stratification
Division into distinct levels
- layersStacked levels or coatings
- strataParallel geological layers
- sedimentationParticles settling in liquid
laminations · rock formation · deposition · core sampling · cross-bedding · facies
demarcation
Formal boundary setting
- borderlineEdge of acceptability
- dividing lineBoundary between regions
- cutoffPoint of termination
threshold · edge · contour · perimeter · outline · delimiter · breakpoint · interface · juncture · limit
demographics
Statistical population characteristics
- psychographicsConsumer personality-based segmentation
- target marketIntended consumer group
- nicheRecessed wall space
B2B · B2C · positioning · differentiation · market research · consumer behavior · cohort
syllabification
Division into spoken units
- tokenizationConverting input into discrete units
- parsingGrammatical structure extraction
- speech recognitionMachines understanding human talk
edge detection
Finding boundaries in images
- thresholdingApplying a cutoff value
- maskingConcealing by covering
- contouringShaping with highlights, shadows
- geospatial methodsgeoreferencing, buffering, overlay, intersect, clip
- classificationsclassified, hierarchical, class, unclassified, categorical
- organizingorganizing, categorizing, grouping, structuring, classifying
- organization methodsalphabetical order, chronological order, alphabetical, chronological, grouping
- translationtranslator, literal translation, literary translation, free translation, French translation
- data sciencealgorithm, data analytics, data, machine learning, dataset
segmentationunification
Merging into one entity
integration · merger · consolidation · union · combination
segmentationcontinuity
Uninterrupted progression or coherence
seamlessness · connectedness · unbrokenness · contiguity · flow
segmentationhomogenization
Making things the same
standardization · uniformity · generalization · aggregation · blending
- market segmentationSplitting audiences by shared traits