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
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Chop Chop: Synonyms for "Cut"
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Selection Vocabulary 4, Unit 1
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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.
We are not, however, entitled, on this account, to dissever his prophecies, and to assign particular discourses to the reign of each of these kings.
From Christology of the Old Testament: And a Commentary on the Messianic Predictions, Vol. 1 by Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg
Yet it is grievous to think, that in some instances a difference, which extended no further than to the outward polity of the Church, could dissever and almost alienate those whom grace had made one.
From London in Modern Times or, Sketches of the English Metropolis during the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. by Unknown
Death does not dissever love among friends, 161.
From The Faith of Our Fathers by James Gibbons
So the man was able to dissever the ghastly head and thus to slay the monstrous dragon.
From Tales of Fantasy and Fact by Brander Matthews
They are now indeed a peaceful people; severe as are the hardships of their condition, they are, in the main, contented with it; and nothing short of necessity can dissever them from their dear mountains.
From Recreations of Christopher North, Volume 2 by John Wilson
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.
