v. & n.
v. 1 tr. take off or away from the place or position occupied (remove the top carefully). 2 tr. a move or take to another place; change the situation of (will you remove the tea things?). b get rid of; eliminate (will remove all doubts). 3 tr. cause to be no longer present or available; take away (all privileges were removed). 4 tr. (often foll. by from) dismiss (from office). 5 tr. colloq. kill, assassinate. 6 tr. (in passive; foll. by from) distant or remote in condition (the country is not far removed from anarchy). 7 tr. (as removed adj.) (esp. of cousins) separated by a specified number of steps of descent (a first cousin twice removed = a grandchild of a first cousin). 8 formal a intr. (usu. foll. by from, to) change one's home or place of residence. b tr. conduct the removal of.
n. 1 a degree or remoteness; a distance. 2 a stage in a gradation; a degree (is several removes from what I expected). 3 Brit. a form or division in some schools. removable adj. removability n. remover n. (esp. in sense 8b of v.).
[ ME f. OF removeir f. L removere remot- (as RE-, movere move) ]