dissever
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to sever; separate.
-
to divide into parts.
verb (used without object)
verb
-
to break off or become broken off
-
(tr) to divide up into parts
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of dissever
1250–1300; Middle English des ( s ) everen < Old French dessevrer < Late Latin dissēparāre, equivalent to Latin dis- dis- 1 + sēparāre to separate
Explanation
To dissever is to separate or divide something. If you spend too much time staring at screens, you might want to dissever yourself from technology and go camping this weekend. These days, the verb dissever is considered old-fashioned or primarily literary — you're more likely to use words like sever or detach. It can be useful if you need a more poetic way to talk about dividing things, though: "Don't go to Maine for the summer; I can't bear to dissever my heart from yours!" Dissever comes from a Latin root, separare, "to pull apart."
Vocabulary lists containing dissever
Selection Vocabulary 1, Unit 2
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Chop Chop: Synonyms for "Cut"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Selection Vocabulary 4, Unit 1
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The flesh does not conjoin, but dissever; although through its very severance it suggests a shadow of the union which it cannot bestow.
From Human Personality and its Survival of Bodily Death by F. W. H. (Frederic William Henry) Myers
Perhaps, if I dissever and explain the word, it may enable even my English readers in some degree to approach a successful attempt at its pronunciation.
From The Catholic World; Volume I, Issues 1-6 A Monthly Eclectic Magazine by E. Rameur
May thy rich bounties ever To wedded love be shown, And no rude hand dissever Whom thou hast linked in one.
From Hymns for Christian Devotion Especially Adapted to the Universalist Denomination by E. H. (Edwin Hubbell) Chapin
Death does not dissever love among friends, 161.
From The Faith of Our Fathers by James Gibbons
To open the mind to unreserved communication, is imbecility; to cover it with a vail, to dissever its internal workings from its external manifestations, is dissimulation and falsehood.
From Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol. 2, No. 8, January, 1851 by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
