separable

See also: séparable

English

Etymology

From Middle English separable, from Middle French separable and its etymon Latin sēparābilis.

Pronunciation

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Adjective

separable (comparative more separable, superlative most separable)

1. Able to be separated.
2. (mathematics, of a differential equation) Able to be brought to a form where all occurrences of the dependent and the independent variable are on opposite sides of the equal sign.
3. (mathematical analysis, of a topological space) Having a countable dense subset.
4. (mathematics, algebra) Any of several technical senses relating to the behavior of polynomials or objects over which polynomials can be defined:
   1. (of a polynomial) Having no repeated roots (where roots are considered in an algebraic closure)

      $x^2+1$ is separable, since its roots are $i$ and $-i$.

      1. (Galois theory, obsolete, of a polynomial $P$) Such that none of the irreducible factors of $P$ have a repeated root.
   2. (Galois theory, of an algebraic field extension $E/F$) Such that the minimal polynomial of every element of $E$ is a separable polynomial.
   3. (abstract algebra, of an algebra over a ring) Satisfying any of several technical conditions on the center of the algebra which generalize the situation of field extensions; see Separable algebra on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Synonyms

• disunitable
• separatable

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “able to be separated”): annexable, combinable, inseparable

Derived terms

• nonseparable
• quasiseparable
• semiseparable
• separable affix
• separable extension
• separableness
• separable polynomial
• separable prefix
• separable verb
• separably
• superseparable
• unseparable

Related terms

• separability

Translations

able to be separated

• Bulgarian: отделим (bg) (otdelim)
• Catalan: separable
• Dutch: scheidbaar (nl)
• Finnish: separoituva, erottuva (fi)
• Galician: separable (gl)
• German: separabel, trennbar (de)
• Hungarian: szétválasztható (hu), elválasztható (hu), (of verbal prefixes) elváló
• Italian: separabile
• Japanese: 切り離せる (きりはなせる, kirihanaseru), 分離できる (ja) (ぶんりできる, bunri dekiru), 可分の (ja) (かぶんの, kabun no)
• Latin: sēparābilis
• Portuguese: separável (pt)
• Russian: отделимый (ru) (otdelimyj)
• Spanish: separable
• Swedish: avtagbar (sv), delbar (sv), separabel (sv)

(differential equations)

• Asturian: xebrable
• Catalan: separable
• Finnish: separoituva
• French: séparable (fr)
• Galician: separable (gl)
• German: separierbar, trennbar (de) (less common)
• Italian: separabile
• Polish: rozłączny
• Portuguese: separável (pt)
• Spanish: separable

Anagrams

• bearleaps, parseable, spareable, spearable

Asturian

Adjective

separable (epicene, plural separables)

1. separable

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin sēparābilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern, Balearic, Central) [sə.pəˈɾab.blə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [se.paˈɾa.ble]
• IPA^(key): (Northwestern) [se.paˈɾab.ble]

Adjective

separable m or f (masculine and feminine plural separables)

1. separable

   Antonym: inseparable

Related terms

• separar

Further reading

• “separable”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “separable”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026
• “separable” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• Alcover, Antoni Maria; Moll, Francesc de Borja (1963), “separable”, in Diccionari català-valencià-balear (in Catalan)

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin sēparābilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sepaˈɾable/ [se.paˈɾa.β̞le]
• Rhymes: -able
• Syllabification: se‧pa‧ra‧ble

Adjective

separable m or f (masculine and feminine plural separables)

1. separable, detachable

   Antonym: inseparable

Related terms

• inseparable
• separar

Further reading

• “separable”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025