Separables

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. Referring to elements or units capable of being divided or detached from a whole ; pertaining to concepts or items that can be individually isolated or split apart ; describing parts or components that allow or involve separation into distinct sections
2. Characterizing objects or ideas that can be distinctly partitioned or disconnected ; related to aspects susceptible to being broken down into independent units ; involving segments or portions that may be separated from a collective entity
3. Denoting entities that are able to be unlinked or disconnected from a larger group ; applicable to items or notions that support division or individual removal ; connected with components or factors that can be detached or dealt with independently

Etymology: "Separables" is the plural of the adjective-turned-noun "separable," which is itself formed from the verb "separate" plus the suffix "-able," meaning "capable of being." "Separate" comes from the Latin "separatus," the past participle of "separare," which combined "se-" ("apart") with "parare" ("to prepare, make ready"). The original sense was roughly "to get ready apart," and the notion of pulling things apart drifted in from there. "Separable" entered English in the early 1600s, and "separate" had been in use somewhat earlier, in the late 1400s or 1500s. Note that the sense of "parts that detach" is a specialized use, mostly found in technical and grammatical contexts, such as "separable prefixes" in German verbs. In that setting, the word describes elements that can split off from the rest of a verb, which is a neat echo of the original idea of things being prepared apart.

Synonyms: divisible, detachable

Antonyms: inseparables, indivisible