stratify

verb strat·i·fy \ ˈstra-tə-ˌfī \

|Updated on: 24 Jul 2018

Definition of stratify

stratified; stratifying

transitive verb

1 : to form, deposit, or arrange in strata

2 a : to divide or arrange into classes, castes, or social strata

b : to divide into a series of graded statuses

intransitive verb

: to become arranged in strata

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Recent Examples of stratify from the Web

The seeds stratify over the winter, which encourages them to germinate next spring.

— anna groves, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "They're beautiful — and in danger. Now, a huge effort focuses on saving monarch butterflies," 13 July 2018
San Antonio is rapidly growing but its demographics are stratified in a number of ways.

— krista torralva, San Antonio Express-News, "UTSA program paves way for health professionals from medically underserved communities," 15 June 2018
And stratifying patients based on genetic mutations is messy.

— megan thielking, STAT, "Can precision medicine do for depression what it’s done for cancer? It won’t be easy," 9 May 2018
An update from a similar series of studies undertaken in 2016, the report shows the many ways California continues to stratify.

— patrick sisson, Curbed, "California housing crisis may lead to economic one, says report," 4 May 2018
The melting water stratifies the ocean column, with cold fresh water trapped at the surface and warmer water sitting below.

— dino grandoni, Washington Post, "The Energy 202: Why Scott Pruitt's decision on burning wood is so high stakes," 24 Apr. 2018
But what caused those initial high melt rates, which first caused the waters to stratify?

— chelsea harvey, Scientific American, "Antarctic Glaciers Are Helping Drive Their Own Melt," 20 Apr. 2018
The results of the study were also stratified by ethnicity, gender, age and pain diagnosis.

— mark lieber, CNN, "Drop in new opioid prescriptions to benzodiazepine patients could reduce overdoses, study suggests," 13 Apr. 2018
This first stage gradually phased out as hunter-gatherer groups gave way to societies stratified into rulers and subjects.

— Longreads, "The Way We Treat Our Pets Is More Paleolithic Than Medieval," 22 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'stratify.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of stratify

New Latin stratificare, from stratum + Latin -ificare -ify

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1661

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

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