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Balkanize

Pronunciation: /ˈbɔːlkənʌɪz, ˈbɒl-/
(also Balkanise)
Definition of Balkanize

verb

[with object]
  • divide (a region or body) into smaller mutually hostile states or groups: ambitious neighbours would snatch pieces of territory, Balkanizing the country (as adjective Balkanized)the balkanized world of the Senate Banking Committee

Derivatives

Balkanization

Pronunciation: /-ˈzeɪʃ(ə)n/
noun

Origin:

1920s: from Balkan Peninsula (where this was done in the late 19th and early 20th century) + -ize

Balkanize in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of Balkanize in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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