sever
verbUS /ˈsɛv.ɚ/ · UK /ˈsɛv.ə/
Etymology From Middle English severen, from Old French sevrer, from Latin separāre (“to separate”), from se- (“apart”) + parāre (“provide, arrange”). Doublet of separate, from the past participle of that Latin verb.
1
To cut free.
- After he graduated, he severed all links to his family.
- to sever the head from the body
2 more examples
- The angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 13:49:
- That I just severed the main vein with a chainsaw and I'm in pain?1999, Eminem, Role Model:
2
To suffer disjunction; to be parted or separated.
- No more can I be seuered from your side1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene v]:
- How great then was my anguish at being severed from my Regiment after thirty-three years!1918, Rudyard Kipling, “A Retired Gentleman”, in The Eyes of Asia, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, →OCLC, page 4:
3
To make a separation or distinction; to distinguish.
- The Lord shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Exodus 9:4:
- They claimed the right of severing in their challenges.1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter XVII, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC:
4
Law To disconnect; to disunite; to terminate.
- sever an estate in joint tenancy1765–1769, William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England, (please specify |book=I to IV), Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] Clarendon Press, →OCLC: