Ontscheiding

Ontscheiding is a Dutch term for the act of undoing a previously established connection or integration, resulting in separation or detachment. The term combines the prefix ont- (undoing) with scheiding (separation). It is used in various fields to describe decoupling or disentangling processes, and its exact sense depends on context.

In science and technology, ontscheiding can refer to the separation of components in a mixture (chemistry and materials science), or to the decoupling of subsystems to reduce interaction, for example in engineering or signal processing. In information technology and systems engineering, it describes modularization or the removal of tight couplings between software components or data streams to improve resilience and flexibility.

In governance and public policy, ontscheiding can denote moving toward clearer boundaries between responsibilities, institutions, or regulatory domains, reducing overlap and dependency.

The term is less common than more specific verbs (such as scheiding, ontkoppeling, or decoupling) and its precise meaning is highly context-dependent. It is often found in discussions about process optimization, system design, or organizational reform.

Related terms include ontkoppeling (decoupling), scheiding (separation), and ontbinding (dissolution).