I. ˈse-p(ə-)ˌrāt verb
( -rat·ed ; -rat·ing )
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin separatus, past participle of separare, from se- apart + parare to prepare, procure — more at secede , pare
Date: 15th century
transitive verb
1.
a. : to set or keep apart : disconnect , sever
b. : to make a distinction between : discriminate , distinguish
separate religion from magic
c. : sort
separate 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
was separated from the army
4. : to block off : segregate
5.
a. : to isolate from a mixture : extract
separate cream from milk
b. : to divide into constituent parts
6. : to dislocate (as a shoulder) especially in sports
intransitive verb
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
the crystals separated out
Synonyms:
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 especially 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
II. ˈse-p(ə-)rət adjective
Date: 15th century
1.
a. : set or kept apart : detached
b. archaic : solitary , secluded
c. : immaterial , disembodied
2.
a. : not shared with another : individual
separate rooms
b. often capitalized : estranged from a parent body
separate churches
3.
a. : existing by itself : autonomous
a separate country
b. : dissimilar in nature or identity
consulted five separate authorities
Synonyms: see distinct
• sep·a·rate·ly -p(ə-)rət-lē, ˈse-pərt-lē adverb
• sep·a·rate·ness -nəs noun
III. ˈse-p(ə-)rət noun
Date: 1886
1. : offprint
2. : an article of dress designed to be worn interchangeably with others to form various costume combinations — usually used in plural