sunder
[ suhn-der ]
/ ˈsʌn dər /
verb (used with object)
to separate; part; divide; sever.
verb (used without object)
to become separated; part.
Nearby words
Origin of sunder
before 900; Middle English sundren, Old English sundrian; cognate with German sondern, Old Norse sundra; see sundry
Related formssun·der·a·ble, adjectivesun·der·ance, nounsun·der·er, nounun·sun·dered, adjective
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for sunder
British Dictionary definitions for sunder
sunder
/ (ˈsʌndə) archaic, or literary /
verb
to break or cause to break apart or in pieces
noun
in sunder into pieces; apart
Derived Formssunderable, adjectivesunderance, nounsunderer, noun
Word Origin for sunder
Old English sundrian; related to Old Norse sundr asunder, Gothic sundrō apart, Old High German suntar, Latin sine without
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for sunder
sunder
Old English sundrian, from sundor "separately, apart," from Proto-Germanic *sunder (cf. Old Norse sundr, Old Frisian sunder, Old High German suntar "aside, apart"), from PIE root *sen(e)- denoting "separation" (cf. Sanskrit sanutar "far away," Avestan hanare "without," Greek ater "without," Latin sine "without," Old Church Slavonic svene "without," Old Irish sain "different"). Related: Sundered; sundering.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper