separate

The definition of separate is to pull apart, disconnect or divide.

(verb)

  1. An example of separate is pulling a piece of string cheese off of the whole piece of cheese.
  2. An example of separate is removing the charger from an mp3 player.
  3. An example of separate is when a husband and wife no longer live together.

Separate is defined as something or someone not connected to anything or anyone else.

(adjective)

An example of separate is an issue brought up at a meeting that isn't related to any other issues covered.

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See separate in Webster's New World College Dictionary

transitive verb separated, separating

  1. to set or put apart into sections, groups, sets, units, etc.; cause to part; divide; disunite; sever
  2. to see the differences between; distinguish or discriminate between
  3. to keep apart by being between; divide: a hedge that separates the yards
  4. to bring about a separation between (a husband and wife)
  5. to single out or set apart from others for a special purpose; sort; segregate
  6. to take away (a part or ingredient) from a combination or mixture
  7. to discharge; specif.,
    1. to release from military service
    2. ☆ to dismiss from employment
  8. to dislocate (a body joint)

Origin: ME separaten < L separatus, pp. of separare, to separate < se-, apart (see secede) + parare, to arrange, prepare

intransitive verb

  1. to withdraw or secede: to separate from a party
  2. to part, come or draw apart, or become disconnected
  3. to part company; go in different directions; cease to associate
  4. to stop living together as husband and wife without a divorce
  5. to become distinct or disengaged, as from a mixture
  6. to become dislocated, as a shoulder

adjective

  1. set apart or divided from the rest or others; not joined, united, or connected; severed
  2. not associated or connected with others; having existence as an entity; distinct; individual
  3. thought of or regarded as having individual form or function: the separate parts of the body
  4. of or for one only; not shared or held in common: separate beds
  5. Archaic withdrawn from others; solitary

noun

  1. offprint
  2. coordinated articles of dress worn as a set or separately in various combinations

Related Forms:

See separate in American Heritage Dictionary 4

verb sep·a·rat·ed, sep·a·rat·ing, sep·a·rates
verb, transitive
  1. a. To set or keep apart; disunite.
    b. To space apart; scatter: small farms that were separated one from another by miles of open land.
    c. To sort: separate mail by postal zones.
  2. To differentiate or discriminate between; distinguish: a researcher who separated the various ethnic components of the population sample.
  3. To remove from a mixture or combination; isolate.
  4. To part (a couple), often by decree: She was separated from her husband last year.
  5. To terminate a contractual relationship, as military service, with; discharge.
verb, intransitive
  1. To come apart.
  2. To withdraw: The state threatened to separate from the Union.
  3. To part company; disperse.
  4. To stop living together as spouses.
  5. To become divided into components or parts: Oil and water tend to separate.
adjective (sĕpˈər-ĭt, sĕpˈrĭt)
  1. Set or kept apart; disunited: Libraries often have a separate section for reference books.
  2. a. Existing as an independent entity.
    b. often Separate Having undergone schism or estrangement from a parent body: Separate churches.
  3. Dissimilar from all others; distinct: “a policeman's way of being separate from you even when he was being nice” (John le Carré).
  4. Not shared; individual: two people who held separate views on the issue.
  5. Archaic Withdrawn from others; solitary.
noun (sĕpˈər-ĭt, sĕpˈrĭt)
A garment, such as a skirt, jacket, or pair of slacks, that may be purchased separately and worn in various combinations with other garments.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English separaten

Origin: , from Latin sēparātus

Origin: , past participle of sēparāre

Origin: : sē-, apart; see s(w)e- in Indo-European roots

Origin: + parāre, to prepare; see perə-1 in Indo-European roots

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Related Forms:

  • sepˈa·rate·ly adverb
  • sepˈa·rate·ness noun

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