sever
[ sev-er ]
/ ˈsɛv ər /
verb (used with object)
to separate (a part) from the whole, as by cutting or the like.
to divide into parts, especially forcibly; cleave.
to break off or dissolve (ties, relations, etc.).
Law. to divide into parts; disunite (an estate, titles of a statute, etc.).
to distinguish; discriminate between.
verb (used without object)
to become separated from each other; become divided into parts.
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Nearby words
Origin of sever
Related formshalf-sev·ered, adjectiveun·sev·ered, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for sever
British Dictionary definitions for sever
sever
/ (ˈsɛvə) /
verb
to put or be put apart; separate
to divide or be divided into parts
(tr) to break off or dissolve (a tie, relationship, etc)
Word Origin for sever
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
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Word Origin and History for sever
sever
c.1300, from Anglo-French severer, Old French sevrer "to separate" (12c., later in French restricted to "to wean," i.e. "to separare from the mother"), from Vulgar Latin *seperare, from Latin separare "to separate" (see separate (v.)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper