separate

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See also: sepárate

English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin sēparātus, perfect passive participle of sēparāre (to separate), from (apart) +‎ parō (prepare), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *per- (produce, procure, bring forward, bring forth). Displaced Middle English scheden, from Old English scēadan (whence English shed).

Pronunciation[edit]

  • (adjective, noun) IPA(key): /ˈsɛp.ɹət/, /ˈsɛ.pɚˌət/
  • (verb) IPA(key): /ˈsɛ.pɚˌeɪt/
  • (file)
  • (file)
  • Rhymes: (adjective, noun) -ɛpəɹət, (verb) -ɛpəɹeɪt
  • Hyphenation: sep‧a‧rate

Adjective[edit]

separate (not comparable)

  1. Apart from (the rest); not connected to or attached to (anything else).
    This chair can be disassembled into five separate pieces.
  2. (followed by “from”) Not together (with); not united (to).
    I try to keep my personal life separate from work.

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

Verb[edit]

separate (third-person singular simple present separates, present participle separating, simple past and past participle separated)

  1. (transitive) To divide (a thing) into separate parts.
    Separate the articles from the headings.
    Synonyms: partition, split; see also Thesaurus:divide
  2. (transitive) To disunite from a group or mass; to disconnect.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:disjoin
  3. (transitive) To cause (things or people) to be separate.
    • 2013 June 7, David Simpson, “Fantasy of navigation”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 36:
      It is tempting to speculate about the incentives or compulsions that might explain why anyone would take to the skies in [the] basket [of a balloon]: […];  […]; or perhaps to muse on the irrelevance of the borders that separate nation states and keep people from understanding their shared environment.
    If the kids get too noisy, separate them for a few minutes.
    Synonyms: split up, tear apart
  4. (intransitive) To divide itself into separate pieces or substances.
    The sauce will separate if you don't keep stirring.
    Synonyms: break down, come apart, disintegrate, fall apart
  5. (obsolete) To set apart; to select from among others, as for a special use or service.
    Synonyms: earmark, sepose; see also Thesaurus:set apart

Antonyms[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

Noun[edit]

separate (plural separates)

  1. (usually in the plural) Anything that is sold by itself, especially articles of clothing such as blouses, skirts, jackets, and pants.
    • 2017 October 2, Jess Cartner-Morle, “Stella McCartney lays waste to disposable fashion in Paris”, in the Guardian[1]:
      French taffeta evening separates – a puffball skirt, and a ruffled blouse – were pressed flat to drag them up to date.
  2. (bibliography) A printing of an article from a periodical as its own distinct publication and distributed independently, often with different page numbers.

Usage notes[edit]

See also[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

German[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Adjective[edit]

separate

  1. inflection of separat:
    1. strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
    2. strong nominative/accusative plural
    3. weak nominative all-gender singular
    4. weak accusative feminine/neuter singular

Italian[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /se.paˈra.te/
  • Rhymes: -ate
  • Hyphenation: se‧pa‧rà‧te

Adjective[edit]

separate

  1. feminine plural of separato

Noun[edit]

separate

  1. plural of separata

Verb[edit]

separate

  1. inflection of separare:
    1. second-person plural present indicative
    2. second-person plural imperative

Latin[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Verb[edit]

sēparāte

  1. second-person plural present active imperative of sēparō

References[edit]

  • separate”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • separate”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • separate in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette

Norwegian Bokmål[edit]

Adjective[edit]

separate

  1. definite singular of separat
  2. plural of separat

Norwegian Nynorsk[edit]

Adjective[edit]

separate

  1. definite singular of separat
  2. plural of separat

Spanish[edit]

Verb[edit]

separate

  1. second-person singular voseo imperative of separar combined with te