Segmentation is a general term for the division or partition of something into separate pieces or segments. Here are some of its specialized uses:

• In computer/hardware, it states for memory segmentation.
• In computer network engineering, it is the splitting of a large or heavily used network into subnetworks in order to decentralize the flow of the data traffic. See network layer.
• In digital image processing, it is the partition of a digital image into two or more regions according to some application-specific criterion. See segmentation (image processing).
• In economics and marketing, it may refer to the partition of a market into smaller groups. See market segment.
• In developmental biology, it is the process of dividing a metazoan body into a series of semi-repetitive segments. See segmentation (biology)
• In Natural Language Processing, it is the process of identifying the boundaries of words in Asian languages like chinese and Japanese.