[sep.a.rate] vb -rat.ed ; -rat.ing [ME, fr. L separatus, pp. of separare, fr. se- apart + parare to prepare, procure--more at secede, pare] vt (15c) 1 a: to set or keep apart: disconnect, sever b: to make a distinction between: discriminate, distinguish "~ religion from magic" c: sort "~ mail" d: to disperse in space or time: scatter "widely separated homesteads"
2. archaic: to set aside for a special purpose: choose, dedicate
3: to part by a legal separation: a: to sever conjugal ties with b: to sever contractual relations with: discharge "separated from the army"
4: to block off: segregate
5. a: to isolate from a mixture: extract "~ cream from milk" b: to divide into constituent parts
6: to dislocate (as a shoulder) esp. in sports ~ vi 1: to become divided or detached
2. a: to sever an association: withdraw b: to cease to live together as a married couple
3: to go in different directions
4: to become isolated from a mixture syn separate, part, divide, sever, sunder, divorce mean to become or cause to become disunited or disjointed. separate may imply any of several causes such as dispersion, removal of one from others, or presence of an intervening thing "separated her personal life from her career". part implies the separating of things or persons in close union or association "vowed never to part". divide implies separating into pieces or sections by cutting or breaking "civil war divided the nation". sever implies violence esp. in the removal of a part or member "a severed limb". sunder suggests violent rending or wrenching apart "a city sundered by racial conflict". divorce implies separating two things that commonly interact and belong together "cannot divorce scientific research from moral responsibility".
[2]sep.a.rate adj (15c) 1 a: set or kept apart: detached b archaic: solitary, secluded c: immaterial, disembodied
2. a: not shared with another: individual "~ rooms" b often cap: estranged from a parent body "~ churches" 3 a: existing by itself: autonomous b: dissimilar in nature or identity syn see distinct -- sep.a.rate.ly adv -- sep.a.rate.ness n [3]sep.a.rate n (1886) 1: offprint
2: an article of dress designed to be worn interchangeably with others to form various costume combinations--usu. used in pl.