several

[sev-er-uhl, sev-ruhl]

adjective

1. being more than two but fewer than many in number or kind.

   several ways of doing it.

2. respective; individual.

   They went their several ways.

3. separate; different.

   several occasions.

4. Archaic.,  single; particular.

   an examination of each several case.

5. Law.,  binding two or more persons who may be sued separately on a common obligation.

pronoun

(used with a plural verb)

1. several persons or things.

   He's written ten novels, and several have sold very well.

   Several of my friends are divorced.

several

/ ˈsɛvrəl /

determiner

1. 1. more than a few; an indefinite small number

      several people objected

   2. ( as pronoun; functioning as plural )

      several of them know

adjective

1. (prenominal) various; separate

   the members with their several occupations

2. (prenominal) distinct; different

   three several times

3. law capable of being dealt with separately; not shared Compare joint

Word History and Origins

Origin of several¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin sēparālis, equivalent to Latin sēpar “separate” + -ālis -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of several¹

C15: via Anglo-French from Medieval Latin sēparālis, from Latin sēpār, from sēparāre to _separate

Example Sentences

And he knew he didn’t want to live in limbo any longer than he had to, especially after staying in an Old Pasadena hotel for several weeks with other evacuees.

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Spelling conventions of the era were so loose that Shakespeare’s own name appeared in several different ways, even in his signature.

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Robinhood also gains several licenses through the deal, which the analysts say will allow it to offer futures and futures options, as well as trading swaps.

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It is designed to transfer wealth across several generations—potentially forever—while avoiding estate and generation-skipping transfer taxes at each handoff.

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The company added that it is reviewing several mitigating actions for its U.K. digital business.

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