severance
nounUK /ˈsɛv.ɹəns/ · CA, US /ˈsɛv.ɚ.əns/
Etymology From sever + -ance, from Middle English severaunce, from Anglo-Norman, Old French sevrance, from sevrer.
1
The act of severing or the state of being severed.
2
A separation.
3
A severance payment.
- Meta will notify employees who are being laid off on May 20, and will provide severance packages for those in the United States that include “16 weeks of base pay plus two weeks for every year of employment,” according to the memo to workers.2026 April 23, Mike Isaac, Eli Tan, “Meta to Lay Off 10 Percent of Work Force in A.I. Push”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 23 Apr 2026:
- Derived terms
- nonseverance, severance tax