different between pigeonhole vs segregate

English

Alternative forms

• pigeon-hole
• pigeon hole

Etymology

pigeon +? hole.

Originally literal hole for pigeons, later similar compartments for paper, then extended metaphorically in verb sense of narrowly categorizing or deferring.

Pronunciation

Noun

pigeonhole (plural pigeonholes)

1. One of an array of compartments for housing pigeons.
2. One of an array of compartments for receiving mail and other messages at a college, office, etc.

   Fred was disappointed to find his pigeonhole empty except for bills and a flyer offering 20% off on manicures.

3. One of an array of compartments for storing scrolls at a library.
4. A similar compartment in a desk, used for sorting and storing papers.

Translations

Verb

pigeonhole (third-person singular simple present pigeonholes, present participle pigeonholing, simple past and past participle pigeonholed)

1. To categorize; especially to limit or be limited to a particular category, role, etc.

   Fred was tired of being pigeonholed as a computer geek.

   • 1902, Jack London, A Daughter of the Snows

     He prided himself on his largeness when he granted that there were three kinds of women... Not that he pigeon-holed Frona according to his inherited definitions.

2. To put aside, to not act on (proposals, suggestions, advice).
   • 1910, Angus Hamilton, Herbert Henry Austin, Masatake Terauchi, Korea: Its History, Its People, and Its Commerce, page 294

     These laws were not carried into effect: they were pigeon-holed.

   • 1917, The Crisis, November 1917 issue, The Looking Glass: Election laws in Southern California, page 29

     [...] vociferously declared that they had the evidence. But no one prosecutes. No one swears out a warrant. The evidence is pigeonholed.

   • 2008, Edward Sidlow, Beth Henschen, America at Odds, page 251

     Alternatively, the chairperson may decide to put the bill aside and ignore it. Most bills that are pigeonholed in this manner receive no further action.

Synonyms

• (not act on): mothball, shelve, table, glove box

Translations

Derived terms

• pidge

Related terms

• pigeonhole principle
• pigeonholeable
• pigeonholer

See also

• cubbyhole

English

Etymology

From Latin s?greg?tus, perfect passive participle of s?greg? (“I separate”), from s?- (“apart”) + greg? (“I flock or group”), from grex (“flock”). Compare gregarious, aggregate.

Pronunciation

• (Adjective):
  • enPR: s?'gr?g?t, IPA^(key): /?s??????t/
• (Verb):
  • enPR: s?'gr?g?t, IPA^(key): /?s??????e?t/

Adjective

segregate (comparative more segregate, superlative most segregate)

1. Separate; select.
2. (botany) Separated from others of the same kind.
3. (geology) Separate from a mass and collected together along lines of fraction.

Verb

segregate (third-person singular simple present segregates, present participle segregating, simple past and past participle segregated)

1. (transitive) To separate, especially by social policies that directly or indirectly keep races or ethnic groups apart.

Synonyms

• isolate, separate, sequester, sunder out; see also Thesaurus:segregate

Antonyms

• aggregate

Related terms

• segregation

Translations

Anagrams

• Easter egg

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /se.?re??a.te/

Verb

segregate

1. second-person plural present indicative of segregare
2. second-person plural imperative of segregare
3. feminine plural of segregato

Anagrams

• saggerete

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /se?.?re??a?.te/, [s?e??r???ä?t??]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /se.?re??a.te/, [s??r?????t??]

Verb

s?greg?te

1. second-person plural present active imperative of s?greg?