Adjacent Words

Several definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SEV'ERAL, a. [from several.]
1. Separate; distinct; not common to two or more; as a several fishery; a several estate. A several fishery is one held by the owner of the soil, or by title derived from the owner. A several estate is one held by a tenant in his own right, or a distinct estate unconnected with any other person.
2. Separate; different; distinct.
Divers sorts of beasts came from several parts to drink. Bacon.
Four several armies to the field are lead. Dryden.
3. Divers; consisting of a number; more than two, but not very many. Several persons were present when the event took place.
4. Separate; single; particular.
Each several ship a victory did gain. Dryden.
5. Distinct; appropriate.
Each might his several province well command,
Would all but stoop to what they understand. Pope.
A joint and several note or bond, is one executed by two or more persons, each of whom is bound to pay the whole, in case the others prove to be insolvent.
SEV'ERAL, n.
1. Each particular, or small number, singly taken.
Several of them neither rose from any conspicuous family, nor left any behing them. Addison.
There was not time enough to hear
The severals- Shak.
[This latter use, in the plural, is now infrequent or obsolete.]
2. An inclosed or separate place; inclosed ground;as, they had their several for the heathen, their several for their own people; put a beast into a several. [These applications are nearly or wholly obsolete.]
In several, in a state of separation.
Where pastures in several be. [Little used.] Tusser.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: (used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many; "several letters came in the mail"; "several people were injured in the accident"
2: considered individually; "the respective club members"; "specialists in their several fields"; "the various reports all agreed" [syn: respective, several, various]
3: distinct and individual; "three several times"

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin separalis, from Latin separ separate, back-formation from separare to separate Date: 15th century 1. a. separate or distinct from one another <federal union of the several states> b. (1) individually owned or controlled ; exclusive <a several fishery> — compare common (2) of or relating separately to each individual involved <a several judgment> c. being separate and distinctive ; respective <specialists in their several fields> 2. a. more than one <several pleas> b. more than two but fewer than many <moved several inches> c. chiefly dialect being a great many II. pronoun, plural in construction Date: 1639 an indefinite number more than two and fewer than many <several of the guests>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. & n. --adj. & n. more than two but not many. --adj. 1 separate or respective; distinct (all went their several ways). 2 Law applied or regarded separately (opp. JOINT). Derivatives: severally adv. Etymology: ME f. AF f. AL separalis f. L separ SEPARATE adj.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Several Sev"er*al, adv. By itself; severally. [Obs.] Every kind of thing is laid up several in barns or storehoudses. --Robynson (More's Utopia).

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Several Sev"er*al, n. 1. Each particular taken singly; an item; a detail; an individual. [Obs.] There was not time enough to hear . . . The severals. --Shak. 2. Persons oe objects, more than two, but not very many. Several of them neither rose from any conspicuous family, nor left any behind them. --Addison. 3. An inclosed or separate place; inclosure. [Obs.] They had their several for heathen nations, their several for the people of their own nation. --Hooker. In several, in a state of separation. [R.] ``Where pastures in several be.'' --Tusser.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Several Sev"er*al, a. [OF., fr. LL. separalis, fr. L. separ separate, different. See Sever, Separate.] 1. Separate; distinct; particular; single. Each several ship a victory did gain. --Dryden. Each might his several province well command, Would all but stoop to what they understand. --Pope. 2. Diverse; different; various. --Spenser. Habits and faculties, several, and to be distinguished. --Bacon. Four several armies to the field are led. --Dryden. 3. Consisting of a number more than two, but not very many; divers; sundry; as, several persons were present when the event took place.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. Several is used to refer to an imprecise number of people or things that is not large but is greater than two. I had lived two doors away from this family for several years... Several blue plastic boxes under the window were filled with record albums... Several hundred students gathered on campus. DET: DET pl-n • Several is also a quantifier. Several of the delays were caused by the new high-tech baggage system... QUANT: QUANT of pl-n • Several is also a pronoun. No one drug will suit or work for everyone and sometimes several may have to be tried... PRON

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. Separate, distinct, independent, exclusive. 2. Single, individual, particular. 3. Various, manifold, different, diverse, distinct. 4. Sundry, divers.

Moby Thesaurus

a certain number, a few, a number, absolute, assorted, at odds, at variance, certain, concrete, considerable, contrary, contrasted, contrasting, defined, definite, departing, detailed, determinate, deviating, deviative, different, differentiated, differing, disaccordant, disagreeing, discordant, discrepant, discrete, discriminated, disjoined, disparate, dissimilar, dissonant, distinct, distinguished, distributional, distributive, divergent, diverging, divers, diverse, diversified, equal, esoteric, especial, even stephen, exceptional, express, extraordinary, few, fifty-fifty, fixed, half, half-and-half, halvers, heterogeneous, in disagreement, inaccordant, incompatible, incongruous, inconsistent, inconsonant, independent, individual, inharmonious, inner, intimate, irreconcilable, legion, many, many and various, minute, more, motley, multifarious, multitudinal, multitudinous, nonuniqueness, not a few, noteworthy, numerous, numerousness, of all sorts, one or two, parcel, particular, passel, per capita, per head, personal, pluralism, plurality, pluralness, poles apart, poles asunder, populous, precise, private, pro rata, proportional, proportionate, prorated, respective, separate, separated, single, singular, solipsistic, some, special, specific, sundry, two or three, umpteen, unconformable, unequal, unlike, upwards of, variant, varied, variegated, variety, various, varying, voluminous, widely apart, worlds apart