ˈsəndə(r) verb
( sundered ; sundered ; sundering -d(ə)riŋ ; sunders )
Etymology: Middle English sundren, sunderen, from Old English ge sundrian, syndrian; akin to Middle Low German sunderen to sunder, Old High German suntarōn, Old Norse sundra; derivative from the root of Old English sundor apart, Old High German suntar aside, apart, Old Norse sundr asunder, Gothic sundro aside, apart; akin to Latin sine without, Greek ater without, apart from, Tocharian A sne without, Sanskrit sanutar aside from, far away
transitive verb
: to break or force apart, in two, or off from a whole : separate usually by rending, cutting, or breaking, or by intervening time or space : sever
the Romans sundered copper-bearing rock by alternately playing fire and water on it — New Yorker
the major races are not always clearly sundered by language — Edward Sapir
intransitive verb
: to become parted, disunited, or severed
pressing hands sharply for pledge of good faith, they sundered — George Meredith
Synonyms: see separate