Disseveren

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To completely cut apart or separate into pieces ; to divide or sever connections entirely
2. Describing the action of splitting or detaching something so thoroughly that it is wholly separated ; to forcefully break a link or union beyond repair
3. Referring to a process where something is sundered or torn apart in such a way that no joining remains ; to effectuate a final and absolute parting

Etymology: Its surprising relative is "separate." The two words are doublets: both come from Latin "separare," but "sever" arrived through Old French "sevrer," while "separate" was taken straight from Latin. The older French route is why "sever" sounds so much shorter and more forceful. "Disseveren" is a Middle English verb built from "dis-," which marks division or a going-apart, and "severen," the sever-root already in use. Piling "dis-" onto "sever" adds emphasis, so the verb means to cut something apart completely, not just to divide it. It belongs to the Middle English stock of verbs, and it has long since dropped out of everyday English, leaving "sever" to do its work.

Synonyms: separate, divide, detach, disconnect

Antonyms: join, connect, attach, unite