Partition

noun; verb (transitive)

/pɑːrˈtɪʃən/

The division of a political territory into two or more separate, independent entities, especially the 1947 division of British India into the sovereign dominions of India and Pakistan.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

The Partition of 1947 was not merely a redrawing of borders but a rupture in the moral fabric of the subcontinent, whose communal scars continue to shape India's secular discourse and its fraught relationship with its neighbours.

Synonyms

divisionseparationsegmentationsplittingdemarcationapportionment

Antonyms

unificationmergerintegrationconsolidation

🌱 Word Family

partition (v), partitioned (adj), partitioning (v pres.p), repartition (v/n), partitioner (n)

🔡 Root

Latin partire = to divide, share → partitio = division; via Old French particion

📜 Etymology

From Middle English particioun, via Old French particion, from Latin partitio ("division, apportioning"), from partire ("to divide, to share").

🧠 Memory Hook

"Part-it-on" — to PART a whole INTO sections, just as a partition wall parts one room into two.

📝 Seen in UPSC Question Papers

Prelims 2016 — Modern India
Prelims 2014 — Modern India
Prelims 2010 — Modern India

Real UPSC previous-year questions whose text uses “Partition” — proof this word earns its place on your list.

🏛️ History & Culture 📖 Seen in: Road to Independence & Partition (1944...

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