Integration

How to spell integration

11 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce integration

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does integration mean?

1. nounThe act of combining separate parts, systems, or groups into a unified whole.
2. nounIn calculus, the process of finding the integral, the inverse operation of differentiation.

Integration in a sentence

• The merger required careful integration of two payroll systems.

• The exam tested integration by substitution and by parts.

• The policy promoted the integration of newcomers into the local workforce.

• She used integration to find the area under the curve.

Where does integration come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word traces back to the Latin verb integrare, meaning 'to make whole' or 'to renew', which was built on integer, an adjective meaning 'whole', 'untouched', or 'complete'. That same integer is literally 'not touched', from the negative prefix in- and the root tangere 'to touch', so the original idea was something left intact. English took the noun integration in the 1600s, first in the broad sense of combining parts into a whole, and over time it acquired specialised meanings in mathematics (the inverse of differentiation) and in social policy (bringing separated groups together). Its close relative 'integer' helps fix the spelling: keep the 'integ' core intact and simply add '-ration', and remember it is 'inte-gr-ation', never 'inta-' or '-tion' without the 'a'. The shared root also explains why 'integrity' (wholeness of character) sits in the same family.

How the word is built

• integr- (from integer: whole, untouched)
• -ation (noun of action)