Etymology
From French polarisation. Morphologically polarize + -ation.
Noun
polarization (countable and uncountable, plural polarizations)
- The production or the condition of polarity.
- (sociology) The grouping of opinions into two extremes.
- Political polarization is dividing the country.
- (physics) The production of polarized light; the direction in which the electric field of an electromagnetic wave points.
- (chemistry, physics) The separation of positive and negative charges in a nucleus, atom, molecule, or system.
- (sociology) The grouping of opinions into two extremes.
Derived terms
- affective partisan polarization
- bipolarization
- depolarization
- hyperpolarization
- hypopolarization
- interstellar polarization
- polarization vector
- prepolarization
- repolarization
- spin polarization
Credits
New World Encyclopedia writers and editors copied and adjusted this Wiktionary entry in accordance with NWE standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit for this article is due to both New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions at Wiktionary is accessible to researchers here: