desegregated
UK[ˌdiːˈsɛɡrɪɡeɪtɪd]US[ˌdiːˈsɛɡrɪɡeɪtɪd]
adj
(of a place, institution, or system) having had laws or practices that separated people of different races abolished.
verb (past tense)
ended the policy of racial segregation in.
Morpheme Breakdown
de
segregate
d
de
reverse
segregate
separate
d
past tense suffix
Etymology
The word 'desegregated' is built upon the core concept of 'segregate', which originates from the Latin 'segregare'—a compound of 'se-' (apart) and 'grex' (flock). This literally meant to separate from the herd. In the 20th century, 'segregate' took on the specific societal meaning of enforced racial separation. The prefix 'de-', also from Latin, acts as a powerful reversive force, meaning to undo or remove. Therefore, 'desegregated' logically and linguistically means to undo the act of separating people by race, moving from a state of enforced division back towards integration. The final '-d' marks it as a completed action in the past.
Analysis
Structure: de (reverse) + segregate (separate) + d (past tense suffix)
- de: A Latin prefix meaning "down from, off, away, reversing or undoing an action."
- segregate: From Latin 'segregare', meaning "to separate from the flock, set apart." In English, it specifically came to mean separating by race.
- d: A suffix indicating the past tense and past participle form of a regular verb.
Examples
The school district was ordered to implement a desegregated busing system.
After years of protest, the city's public facilities were finally desegregated.
A desegregated military was a crucial step toward greater equality.