sever

To sever is to separate or to cut or slice something.

(verb)

  1. When someone's hand is caught in a machine and is cut off, this is an example of a situation where he severs his hand.
  2. When you cut off ties to a friend who was unkind, this is an example of a situation where you sever all ties.

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See sever in Webster's New World College Dictionary

transitive verb, intransitive verb

  1. to separate; make or become distinct; divide: severed from his family by the war
  2. to part or break off, as by cutting or with force; cut in two: to sever a cable, to sever all relationship

Origin: ME severen < OFr sevrer, severer < VL *seperare < L separare, to separate

See sever in American Heritage Dictionary 4

verb sev·ered, sev·er·ing, sev·ers
verb, transitive
  1. To set or keep apart; divide or separate.
  2. To cut off (a part) from a whole.
  3. To break up (a relationship, for example); dissolve. See Synonyms at separate.
verb, intransitive
  1. To become cut or broken apart.
  2. To become separated or divided from each other.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English severen

Origin: , from Anglo-Norman severer

Origin: , from Vulgar Latin *sēperāre

Origin: , from Latin sēparāre; see separate

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