separate

See also: sepárate

English

Etymology

From Latin sēparātus, perfect passive participle of sēparāre (“to separate”), from sē (“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

• (adjective, noun)
  • (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛp.ɹət/, /ˈsɛp.ə.ɹət/
  • (US) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛp.ɹət/

    • Audio (US); “separate” (adjective):

      (file)

  • (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈsep.ɹət/
  • Rhymes: -ɛpɹət, -ɛpəɹət
• (verb)
  • (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛp.əˌɹeɪt/
  • (US) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛp.əˌɹeɪt/, /ˈsɛp.ɚˌeɪt/

    • Audio (US); “separate” (verb):

      (file)

  • (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈsep.əˌɹæɪt/
• Hyphenation: sep‧a‧rate
  • Rhymes: -ɛpəɹeɪt

Adjective

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

• go their separate ways
• separate but equal
• separate cover
• separate estate
• separate maintenance
• separate peace
• separate school
• write as separate words

 

Translations

apart from; not connected to

• Afrikaans: geskeide, aparte, afgesonderde, separaat
• Arabic: مُنْفَصِل (munfaṣil)

  Hijazi Arabic: مَفْصول (mafṣūl), مُفَرَّق (mufarrag)

• Armenian: առանձին (hy) (aṙanjin), անջատ (hy) (anǰat)
• Assamese: সুকীয়া (xukia)
• Bashkir: айырым (ayırım), башҡа (başqa)
• Belarusian: асо́бны (be) (asóbny)
• Bulgarian: отде́лен (bg) (otdélen)
• Catalan: separat (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 分開的 / 分开的 (fēnkāi de)

• Chukchi: янракэн (janrakėn)
• Dutch: afzonderlijk (nl), gescheiden (nl), afgezonderd (nl), afgezonderde (nl), separaat (nl)
• Esperanto: malkuna
• Finnish: erillinen (fi), eri (fi), irtonainen (fi)
• French: séparé (fr) m, séparée (fr) f
• Galician: xebre, estremado, separado, avulso
• German: einzeln (de), getrennt (de), separat (de)
• Hindi: अलग (hi) (alag), अलहदा (hi) (alahdā)
• Hungarian: külön (hu), különálló (hu)
• Icelandic: aðkilinn
• Interlingua: separate
• Italian: separato (it) m, separata (it) f
• Japanese: 分れた (わかれた, wakareta)
• Korean: 개개의 (gaegae'ui)
• Latin: distinctus, sēcrētus
• Maori: nahenahe, tūwehe
• Pashto: بېل (ps) (bel), جلا (ps) (jëlâ)
• Polish: oddzielny (pl), osobny (pl) m
• Portuguese: separado (pt)
• Punjabi: ਅਲਹਿਦਾ (pa) (alahidā)
• Romanian: separat (ro) m or n, separată f
• Russian: отде́льный (ru) (otdélʹnyj), обосо́бленный (ru) (obosóblennyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: air leth
• Southern Altai: башка (baška)
• Spanish: separado (es)
• Swedish: avskild (sv), skiljd, separat (sv)
• Tamil: பிரி (ta) (piri)
• Telugu: విడి (te) (viḍi)
• Turkish: ayrı (tr)
• Ukrainian: окре́мий (uk) (okrémyj)
• Urdu: الگ (alag)
• Welsh: gwahan

followed by "from": not together with

• Afrikaans: geskei van, apart van, afgesonder van
• Armenian: առանձին (hy) (aṙanjin)
• Bashkir: нимәнән айырым (nimənən ayırım)
• Bulgarian: разделен (bg) (razdelen)
• Catalan: separat (ca)
• Czech: samostatný (cs), separátní, oddělený (cs)
• Dutch: gescheiden van (nl)
• Finnish: erillinen (fi), erillään (fi) (adverb)
• French: séparé (fr) m, séparée (fr) f
• Galician: separado
• German: getrennt (de), separat (de)
• Italian: separato (it) m, separata (it) f
• Korean: 별개의 (ko) (byeolgae'ui)
• Pashto: بېل (ps) (bel)
• Portuguese: separado (pt)
• Russian: разде́льный (ru) (razdélʹnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: air leth (bho)
• Spanish: separado (es)
• Swedish: skild (sv), separat (sv), åtskild (sv)
• Telugu: విడి (te) (viḍi)
• Turkish: -den ayrı
• Ukrainian: розді́льний (rozdílʹnyj)

Verb

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.

   Synonyms: partition, split; see also Thesaurus:divide

   Separate the articles from the headings.

2. (transitive) To disunite from a group or mass; to disconnect.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:disjoin

   • 1683, John Dryden, The Art of Poetry:

     From the fine gold I separate the allay [alloy].

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Romans 8:35:

     Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

3. (transitive) To cause (things or people) to be separate.

   Synonyms: split up, tear apart

   If the kids get too noisy, separate them for a few minutes.

   • 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.

4. (intransitive) To divide itself into separate pieces or substances.

   Synonyms: break down, come apart, disintegrate, fall apart

   The sauce will separate if you don't keep stirring.

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

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Acts 13:2:

     Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.

Alternative forms

• seperate (archaic or misspelling)

Antonyms

• annex
• combine

 

Derived terms

• separable
• separately
• separate out
• separate the men from the boys
• separate the sheep from the goats
• separate the wheat from the chaff
• separation
• separational
• separationism
• separationist

 

Related terms

• separative

Translations

to divide into separate parts

• Azerbaijani: bölmək (az)
• Bulgarian: разделям (bg) (razdeljam)
• Finnish: erottaa (fi), jakaa (fi)
• Galician: xebrar (gl)
• Greek:

  Ancient: μερίζω (merízō)

• Ingrian: eroittaa
• Italian: separare (it), dividere (it)
• Kyrgyz: айыруу (ky) (ayıruu)
• Latin: dīvidō (la), sēiungō
• Malayalam: വേർതിരിക്കുക (ml) (vēṟtirikkuka)
• Old English: āsundrian
• Persian: جدایدن
• Spanish: separar (es), cisionar (Peru)
• Tocharian B: putk-
• White Hmong: cais
• Yakut: атыр (atır)

to disunite, disconnect

• Afrikaans: skei, deel (af), verdeel (af)
• Arabic: فَصَلَ (ar) (faṣala)

  Moroccan Arabic: فْرق (frəq)

• Armenian: առանձնացնել (hy) (aṙanjnacʻnel), բաժանել (hy) (bažanel), տրոհել (hy) (trohel)
• Aromanian: dispartu
• Azerbaijani: ayırmaq (az)
• Bashkir: айырыу (ayırıw)
• Belarusian: аддзяля́ць impf (addzjaljácʹ), аддзялі́ць pf (addzjalícʹ)
• Bulgarian: разглобявам (bg) (razglobjavam), разлагам (bg) (razlagam)
• Catalan: separar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 分離 / 分离 (zh) (fēnlí), 分開 / 分开 (zh) (fēnkāi), 隔 (zh) (gé)

• Czech: oddělovat (cs) impf, oddělit (cs) pf
• Danish: adskille (da)
• Dutch: scheiden (nl)
• Esperanto: malkunigi
• Finnish: erottaa (fi)
• French: séparer (fr)
• Galician: xebrar (gl), separar (gl)
• Georgian: დაშლა (dašla), დაცილება (dacileba), მოშორება (mošoreba), ჩამოშორება (čamošoreba), განცალკევება (gancalḳeveba), გამოყოფა (gamoq̇opa)
• German: trennen (de), scheiden (de), separieren (de)
• Greek: χωρίζω (el) (chorízo)

  Ancient: χωρίζω (khōrízō)

• Hungarian: elválaszt (hu), elkülönít (hu), szeparál (hu)
• Interlingua: separar
• Irish: deighil, scaoil i
• Italian: separare (it)
• Japanese: 切り離す (ja) (きりはなす, kirihanasu), 分離する (ja) (ぶんりする, bunri suru)
• Korean: 분리(分離)하다 (ko) (bullihada)
• Malayalam: വേർതിരിക്കുക (ml) (vēṟtirikkuka)
• Maori: tiriwā, īheuheu, tautoko (mi)
• Nahuatl: caltechoa, xeloa
• Norman: s'pather (Jersey)
• Occitan: separar (oc)
• Old English: tōdǣlan, ġetwǣfan
• Plautdietsch: scheeden
• Polish: oddzielać (pl) impf, oddzielić (pl) pf, separować (pl) impf
• Portuguese: separar (pt)
• Romanian: despărți (ro), separa (ro)
• Russian: отделя́ть (ru) impf (otdeljátʹ), отдели́ть (ru) pf (otdelítʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: eadar-dhealaich
• Sidamo: bada
• Spanish: separar (es)
• Swedish: avskilja (sv), skilja (sv), dela (sv)
• Telugu: వేరు చేయు (vēru cēyu)
• Tocharian B: putk-
• Turkish: ayırmak (tr)
• Ukrainian: відділя́ти impf (viddiljáty), відділи́ти pf (viddilýty), відокре́млювати impf (vidokrémljuvaty), відокре́мити pf (vidokrémyty)
• Walloon: schåyî (wa)
• ǃXóõ: khàla

to cause to be separate

• Afrikaans: skei, verdeel (af)
• Armenian: առանձնացնել (hy) (aṙanjnacʻnel), բաժանել (hy) (bažanel), անջատել (hy) (anǰatel)
• Azerbaijani: ayırmaq (az)
• Bulgarian: отделям (bg) (otdeljam)
• Catalan: separar (ca)
• Danish: adskille (da), afsondre
• Dutch: scheiden (nl), afzonderen (nl)
• Esperanto: malkunigi
• Finnish: erottaa (fi)
• French: séparer (fr)
• Galician: xebrar (gl), separar (gl), arredar (gl),
• German: separieren (de), unterscheiden (de), absondern (de)
• Hungarian: elkülönít (hu), szeparál (hu)
• Interlingua: separar
• Indonesian: memisahkan (id)
• Malayalam: വേർതിരിക്കുക (ml) (vēṟtirikkuka)
• Maori: wawao (refers to combatants), īheuheu, wawao (Refers particularly to parting combatants)
• Norman: s'pather (Jersey)
• Norwegian: skille (no), avsondre
• Occitan: separar (oc)
• Old English: tōdǣlan, ġetwǣfan
• Polish: rozdzielać (pl), rozdzielić (pl), separować (pl) impf
• Portuguese: separar (pt)
• Romanian: despărți (ro), separa (ro)
• Russian: разделя́ть (ru) (razdeljátʹ), разъединя́ть (ru) (razʺjedinjátʹ), разлуча́ть (ru) (razlučátʹ) (of people)
• Scottish Gaelic: eadar-dhealaich
• Spanish: separar (es), disgregar (es), disatraer, apartar (es)
• Swedish: dela (sv), skilja (sv), avskilja (sv)
• Telugu: వేరు చేయు (vēru cēyu)
• Turkish: ayırmak (tr)
• Ukrainian: розділя́ти (rozdiljáty)
• ǃXóõ: khàla

to divide itself

• Afrikaans: skei
• Dutch: scheiden (nl), zich verdelen (nl), schiften (nl)
• Esperanto: malkuniĝi
• Finnish: erottua (fi)
• French: se séparer (fr)
• Galician: xebrarse, escabildarse, atagallarse, escabardar (gl), estrombar, arredarse
• German: sich trennen, auseinanderfallen (de)
• Greek: κόβω (el) (kóvo)
• Hungarian: elkülönül (hu)
• Japanese: 分かれる (ja) (わかれる, wakareru), 別れる (ja) (わかれる, wakareru)
• Korean: 분리(分離)되다 (ko) (bullidoeda)
• Latvian: sadalīties
• Malayalam: വേർതിരിയുക (ml) (vēṟtiriyuka)
• Portuguese: separar-se
• Quechua: haytarakuy
• Romanian: separa (ro)
• Russian: разделя́ться (ru) (razdeljátʹsja)
• Spanish: separarse (es)
• Swedish: dela (sv), splittra (sv), söndra (sv)
• Telugu: విడిపోవు (te) (viḍipōvu)
• Turkish: bölmek (tr)
• Ukrainian: розділя́тися (rozdiljátysja), відділя́тися (viddiljátysja), відокре́млюватися (vidokrémljuvatysja)

Noun

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

• The spelling is separate (-par-). seperate (-per-) is a common misspelling.

See also

• disconnect
• disunite
• divide
• reduce
• split
• subtract

 

Anagrams

• asperate

German

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

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

Interlingua

Adjective

separate (not comparable)

1. separate

Participle

separate

1. past participle of separar

Italian

Pronunciation

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

Adjective

separate

1. feminine plural of separato

Noun

separate

1. plural of separata

Verb

separate

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

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /seː.paˈraː.te/, [s̠eːpäˈräːt̪ɛ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /se.paˈra.te/, [sepäˈräːt̪e]

Verb

sēparāte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of sēparō

References

• “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

Adjective

separate

1. definite singular of separat
2. plural of separat

Norwegian Nynorsk

Adjective

separate

1. definite singular of separat
2. plural of separat

Spanish

Verb

separate

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