# separate

Pronunciation: say "SEP-uh-rayt" US /ˈsɛpəˌɹeɪt/, UK /ˈsɛpəɹeɪt/

## Adjective

Pronunciation: say "SEP-uh-rit" /ˈsɛp.(ə.)ɹət/

1. Forming a unit by itself; not joined, connected, shared or together with something else.
   - Simple: Not joined to or shared with anything else.
   - _Each guest received a separate copy of the schedule._
   - _The studio is completely separate from the main house._

## Verb

2. To cause people or things to be apart from one another.
   - Simple: To make people or things be apart from each other.
   - _Referees rushed in to separate the brawling players._
   - _A sudden storm separated the hikers, and they spent hours searching for each other._
3. To be located between two people, places, or things and keep them apart, acting as a boundary or a gap.
   - Simple: To be between two people, places, or things so that they are kept apart.
   - _A narrow strait separates the island from the mainland._
   - _At the reception, two empty tables separate the feuding families._
4. To take a thing out of a group or mass it was part of; to disconnect it from the rest.
   - Simple: To take one thing out of a group it belongs to, so it stands alone.
   - _Workers separate the recyclable metal from the rest of the trash._
   - _The surgeon carefully separated the nerve from the surrounding tissue._
5. To distinguish between people or things, or to be the quality that sets one apart from the rest.
   - Simple: To see how people or things are different, or to be the thing that makes one different.
   - _Smart investors learn to separate real opportunities from hype._
   - _Attention to detail is what separates a good chef from a great one._
6. Of a married couple or other partners, to start living apart, often as a step toward divorce.
   - Simple: Of a married couple or partners: to stop living together, often before getting a divorce.
   - _The couple separated last spring but have not yet filed for divorce._
   - _Some couples separate for a trial period before deciding whether to end the marriage._
7. To divide a single thing into two or more distinct parts.
   - Simple: To split one thing into two or more parts.
   - _Teachers separate the class into small groups for the activity._
   - _He separated the mixture into its component liquids._
8. To divide on its own into separate pieces or distinct substances.
   - Simple: To break apart on its own into pieces or different substances.
   - _Over time, the cream separates from the milk and rises to the top._
   - _If you heat the sauce too fast, the butter will separate and leave an oily layer on top._

## Noun

Pronunciation: say "SEP-uh-rit" /ˈsɛp.(ə.)ɹət/

9. An article of clothing sold by itself rather than as part of a set, such as a blouse, skirt, or jacket.
   - Simple: A piece of clothing sold on its own, like a top or skirt, instead of as a set.
   - _She prefers buying separates so she can mix and match outfits._
   - _Each separate in the new collection pairs well with the others._

## Verb

10. To choose certain people or things and reserve them for a particular purpose or service. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To set something apart and choose it for a special use.

## Other meanings

- (noun) A copy of a single article from a periodical, issued and distributed as a publication in its own right, sometimes with its own page numbering.

## Origin

From Middle English separaten, from Latin sēparātus, the past participle of sēparō "to separate," formed from sē- "apart" plus parō "prepare," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *per- "produce, bring forth." It is a doublet of sever, which comes from the same Latin verb, and it displaced the older Middle English scheden.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/separate (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).