separation

[sep-uh-rey-shuhn]

noun

1. an act or instance of separating or the state of being separated.

2. a place, line, or point of parting.

3. a gap, hole, rent, or the like.

4. something that separates or divides.

5. Law.

   1. cessation of conjugal cohabitation, as by mutual consent.

   2. judicial separation.

6. Aerospace.,  the time or act of releasing a burned-out stage of a rocket or missile from the remainder.

7. Photography.,  separation negative.

separation

/ ˌsɛpəˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of separating or state of being separated

2. the place or line where a separation is made

3. a gap that separates

4. family law the cessation of cohabitation between a man and wife, either by mutual agreement or under a decree of a court Compare judicial separation divorce

5. 1. the act of jettisoning a burnt-out stage of a multistage rocket

   2. the instant at which such a stage is jettisoned

Other Word Forms

• nonseparation noun
• preseparation noun
• reseparation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of separation¹

1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin sēparātiōn- (stem of sēparātiō ), equivalent to sēparāt ( us ) separate + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

News of the Australian stars’ separation broke Monday afternoon, shocking pop culture enthusiasts and swiftly inspiring memes by AMC Theater devotees.

From Los Angeles Times

The complaint, which was reviewed by The Times, lists their date of separation as the “date of filing.”

From Los Angeles Times

TMZ first reported the news and cited sources who said the pair had been living apart since the summer and Kidman does not want the separation.

From BBC

It threads through the dark, tracing the melancholy of separation and the intimacy of the night, as the voices of Angel Baby and Art Laboe come through radio speakers.

From Los Angeles Times

A third flight saw both stages lost after separation.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• departure 
• disengagement 
• dissolution 
• divorce 
• estrangement 
• partition 
• segregation 
• split