Main Entry: bal·kan·ize

Pronunciation: \ˈbȯl-kə-ˌnīz\

Function: transitive verb

Inflected Form(s): bal·kan·ized; bal·kan·iz·ing

Usage: often capitalized

Etymology: Balkan Peninsula

Date: 1919

1 : to break up (as a region or group) into smaller and often hostile units
2 : divide, compartmentalize <now pop culture has been balkanized; it is full of niches, with different groups watching and playing their own things — Richard Corliss>

— bal·kan·i·za·tion \ˌbȯl-kə-nə-ˈzā-shən\ noun often capitalized