separate

To divide (a thing) into separate parts.

Adjective

  1. Apart from (the rest); not connected to or attached to (anything else).
    • This chair can be disassembled into five separate pieces.
    • Syntactically, hendiadic constructions differ from synthetonic sequences in that the latter are separate clauses, and hence are separately negatable and may have different tenses and aspects and different subjects. -...
  2. Not together (with); not united (to).
    • I try to keep my personal life separate from work.

Origin

From Middle English separat, see -ate (“adjective-forming suffix”) and Etymology 1 for more.

Synonyms

detached discrete distinct disparate loose separate sundry unattached unannexed unassociated unconnected

Antonyms

coherent conjunct indistinct joined unified

Hyponyms

insular

Related

separation asunder divide divisible

Derived

go their separate ways inseparate nonseparate semiseparate separate but equal separate cover separate estate separate maintenance separateness separate opinion separate peace separate school septel unseparate write as separate words

Noun

  1. Anything that is sold by itself, especially articles of clothing such as blouses, skirts, jackets, and pants.
    • French taffeta evening separates – a puffball skirt, and a ruffled blouse – were pressed flat to drag them up to date. - 2017 October 2, Jess Cartner-Morle, “Stella McCartney lays waste to disposable fashion in Paris”,...
  2. A printing of an article from a periodical as its own distinct publication and distributed independently, often with different page numbers.

Origin

From a substantivization of the above adjective, see -ate (“noun-forming suffix”) and Etymology 1 for more.

Forms

separates

Related

disconnect disunite divide reduce split subtract

Verb

  1. To divide (a thing) into separate parts.
    • Separate the articles from the headings.
    • Ant taxonomists have decided that anything that's worth separating should be separated at the species level, and have no truck with subspecies at all. Butterfly taxonomists, however, like the triple-barrelled name...
    • The mesosphere may be described as the earth's intermediate or middle atmosphere, which separates the thermosphere above from the ozonosphere (or stratosphere) below, both of which are responsible for absorption of most...

    Synonyms: partition split becut decide discerp disintegrate dispart dissever divide divorce divvy up part piecemeal rescind section sever split up sunder

  2. To disunite from a group or mass; to disconnect.
    • Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? - 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Romans 8:35:
    • From the fine gold I separate the allay [alloy]. - 1683, John Dryden, The Art of Poetry:
    • There must be some deep-rooted anti-social principle in every man's nature, so dearly does he love aught that separates him from his kind; or is it but one of the many shapes taken by that mental kaleidoscope, vanity,...

    Synonyms: differentiate disaggregate disassemble discriminate disjoin disunify disunite divide peel off pick off separate single out unjoin

  3. To cause (things or people) to be separate.
    • If the kids get too noisy, separate them for a few minutes.
    • It is tempting to speculate about the incentives or compulsions that might explain why anyone would take to the skies in [the] basket [of a balloon]: […]; […]; or perhaps to muse on the irrelevance of the borders that...

    Synonyms: split up tear apart

  4. To divide itself into separate pieces or substances.
    • The sauce will separate if you don't keep stirring.

    Synonyms: break down come apart disintegrate fall apart

  5. To set apart; to select from among others, as for a special use or service.
    • Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. - 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Acts 13:2:

    Synonyms: earmark sepose allocate appropriate shelve assign dedicate detach designate preselect put aside secern secernate separate sequester set apart set aside

Origin

From Middle English separaten (“to separate”), from separat (“separated”) + -en, from Latin sēparātus, perfect passive participle of sēparō (“to separate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from sē- (“apart”) + parō (“prepare”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“produce, procure, bring forward, bring forth”). Displaced Middle English scheden, from Old English scēadan (whence English shed). Doublet of sever, also derived from the same Latin verb.

Forms

separates separating separated seperate

Antonyms

annex combine

Related

separative

Derived

electroseparate enantioseparate lift and separate reseparate separable separase separatability separatable separatee separately separate out separate the men from the boys separate the sheep from the goats separate the wheat from the chaff separatical separation separational separationism separationist separatism separatist separatory separature