Debonds

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To break or loosen bonds, causing parts to separate from each other
2. The act of undoing a connection so that components no longer remain joined
3. When elements become detached by losing their previously held bonds

Etymology: "Debonds" is the third-person singular form of "debond", a verb meaning to break or loosen bonds so that the parts separate. The base word is "bond", which English inherited through Middle English "bonden" (to bind), itself rooted in an older Germanic-derived term for tying or binding. Anything bonded, from chemical links to adhesive joints, can be debonded. The prefix "de-" does the work here. It comes from Latin "dē", meaning "down", "away" or "off", and English has used it since the Middle Ages to reverse or undo an action, as in "decode" or "deflate". Attaching it to "bond" gives the sense of undoing a binding.

Synonyms: separates, detaches, disengages, uncouples, disconnects

Antonyms: bonds, attaches, connects, joins, fastens