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definitions

detach

[dih-tach]
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verb (used with object)

to unfasten and separate; disengage; disunite.
Military. to send away (a regiment, ship, etc.) on a special mission.

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RELATED WORDS

dissociate, disassemble, disentangle, separate, isolate, disengage, segregate, sever, free, loosen, loose, divide, disassociate, divorce, unhitch, disjoin, remove, uncouple, dismount, part

Nearby words

  1. desulphurize,
  2. desultory,
  3. det,
  4. det.,
  5. det. in dup.,
  6. detachable,
  7. detached,
  8. detached retina,
  9. detachment,
  10. detachment of retina

Origin of detach

1470–80; < Middle French détacher, Old French destachier; see dis-1, attach
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for detach

British Dictionary definitions for detach

detach

verb (tr)

to disengage and separate or remove, as by pulling; unfasten; disconnect
military to separate (a small unit) from a larger, esp for a special assignment
Derived Formsdetachable, adjectivedetachability, noundetacher, noun

Word Origin for detach

C17: from Old French destachier, from des- dis- 1 + attachier to attach
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for detach

detach

v.

1680s, from French détacher "to detach, untie," from Old French destachier, from des- "apart" + attachier "attach" (see attach). Related: Detached; detaching.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for detach

detach

[dĭ-tăch′]

v.

To separate or unfasten; disconnect.
To remove from association or union with something.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.