Adjacent Words

Severance definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SEV'ERANCE, n. Separation; the act of dividing or disuniting. The sevrance of a jointure is make by destroying the unity of interest. Thus when there are two joint-tenants for life, and the inheritance is purchased by or descends upon either, it is a servrance.
So also when two persons are joined in a writ, and one is nonsuited; in this case sevrance is permitted, and the other plantif may proceed in the suit. So also in assize, when two or more disseizees appear upon the writ, and not the other, sevrance is permitted.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a personal or social separation (as between opposing factions); "they hoped to avoid a break in relations" [syn: rupture, breach, break, severance, rift, falling out]
2: the act of severing [syn: severance, severing]

Merriam Webster's

noun Date: 15th century the act or process of severing ; the state of being severed

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 the act or an instance of severing. 2 a severed state. Phrases and idioms: severance pay an amount paid to an employee on the early termination of a contract.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Severance Sev"er*ance, n. 1. The act of severing, or the state of being severed; partition; separation. --Milman. 2. (Law) The act of dividing; the singling or severing of two or more that join, or are joined, in one writ; the putting in several or separate pleas or answers by two or more disjointly; the destruction of the unity of interest in a joint estate. --Bouvier.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

1. Severance from a person or group, or the severance of a connection, involves the ending of a relationship or connection. (FORMAL) ...his bitter sense of severance from his family. ...the complete severance of diplomatic relations. 2. Severance pay is a sum of money that a company gives to its employees when it has to stop employing them. (BUSINESS) We were offered 13 weeks' severance pay. ADJ: ADJ n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Separation, partition.

Moby Thesaurus

abscission, alteration, amputation, analysis, anatomization, atomization, butchering, change, chopping, clearance, cleavage, cutting, demarcation, deportation, desynonymization, detachment, dichotomy, differencing, differentiation, discard, discrimination, disequalization, disjunction, disposal, disposition, distinction, distinguishment, diversification, division, ejection, elimination, enucleation, eradication, excision, exile, expatriation, expulsion, fission, individualization, individuation, laceration, liquidation, modification, mutilation, ostracism, outlawing, outlawry, particularization, personalization, purge, removal, rending, resection, riddance, ripping, scission, section, segregation, separation, severalization, slashing, slicing, specialization, splitting, surgery, suspension, tearing, variation, withdrawal