severable

[sev-er-uh-buhl, sev-ruh-]

adjective

1. capable of being severed.

2. Law.,  separable or capable of being treated as separate from a whole legal right or obligation.

   a severable contract obligation.

ˈseverable

/ ˈsɛvərəbəl /

adjective

1. able to be severed

2. law capable of being separated, as a clause in an agreement

   a severable contract

Other Word Forms

• severability noun
• nonseverable adjective
• unseverable adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ˈseverable¹

First recorded in 1540–50; sever + -able

Example Sentences

Second, the plaintiffs argued that the mandate isn’t severable from the rest of the ACA, meaning that if it falls, the whole ACA falls.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

If the court were to find the ACA severable, then even a holding that the individual mandate was unconstitutional would not invalidate the entire law.

Read more on Salon

The House of Representatives and multiple Democratic attorneys general intervened in the case, asking the Supreme Court to consider whether the mandate was constitutional and whether it was severable from the rest of the law.

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The court is considering whether the law’s individual mandate to purchase health insurance or pay a penalty is severable from the broader law, or whether it makes all of Obamacare unconstitutional.

Read more on Washington Times

Assuming the court determines the mandate is unconstitutional and severable from some or most of the rest of the law, it would also have to decide which parts to keep.

Read more on Scientific American