disengagement

English

Etymology

dis- +‎ engage +‎ -ment

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌdɪs.ɪŋˈɡeɪdʒ.mənt/

Noun

disengagement (countable and uncountable, plural disengagements)

1. Release or detachment from a physical situation or other involvement.
   • 1818, Sir Walter Scott, Rob Roy, ch. 10,

     My thanks to you for my speedy disengagement from the ridiculous accusation of Morris.

2. The separation or release of a chemical.
   • 1836, Washington Irving, chapter 26, in Astoria:

     Others have endeavored to account for these discharges of "mountain artillery" on humbler principles; attributing them . . . to the disengagement of hydrogen, produced by subterraneous beds of coal in a state of ignition.

3. (dated) Leisure; relief from responsibilities or onerous activities.
4. (military, politics) Withdrawal from combat, confrontation, or the assertion of influence.
5. Termination of an agreement to be married.
6. (fencing) A circular movement of the blade that blocks an opponent's parry.
   • 1895, Francis Marion Crawford, chapter 23, in Taquisara:

     There was a quick flash, a disengagement, a feint, a lunge that was like a man's, and as her long left arm shot out like lightning, her foil bent nearly double.

7. (medicine, obstetrics) The emergence of the fetus from the birth canal.

Related terms

• disengage
• engagement
• engage

References

• “disengagement”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., 1989.