sever

[ sev-er ]
See synonyms for: severseveredsevering on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
  1. to separate (a part) from the whole, as by cutting or the like.

  2. to divide into parts, especially forcibly; cleave.

  1. to break off or dissolve (ties, relations, etc.).

  2. Law. to divide into parts; disunite (an estate, titles of a statute, etc.).

  3. to distinguish; discriminate between.

verb (used without object)
  1. to become separated from each other; become divided into parts.

Origin of sever

1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English severen, from Middle French sev(e)rer; see separate

Words Nearby sever

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use sever in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sever

sever

/ (ˈsɛvə) /


verb
  1. to put or be put apart; separate

  2. to divide or be divided into parts

  1. (tr) to break off or dissolve (a tie, relationship, etc)

Origin of sever

1
C14 severen, from Old French severer, from Latin sēparāre to separate

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