Lead-in to integration

DIS-

Think of a prefix that means "apart" or "reversal," often seen in words like "disassemble" or "disagree." It’s the opposite of combining or uniting.

The clue plays on the word "integration," which can refer to racial or social unity. "Dis-" is a prefix meaning "opposite of" or "reversal," so "dis-integration" would mean the opposite of integration—segregation or separation. Here, the answer is just the prefix itself, "DIS-," serving as the "lead-in" (or starting part) to the full word. It’s a clever way to hint at the prefix without spelling out the whole term.