separate

Definitions

se- (apart) + parāre (make ready, set in place) = "set apart, put things in their own places." The original image is tidy arrangement into distinct spots, which became the everyday sense of dividing.

Why It Means This

Notice the spelling-and-sound trap built into the word's two parts of speech. The verb (to divide) is pronounced /'separeit/ with a full final syllable; the adjective (existing on its own) is /'seprət/ with the ending swallowed. And the silent middle: it is sep-A-rate, not "seperate" — remember there is "a rat" in sepARATe.

Common Collocations

• 1.separate from与……分开
• 2.separate into分成
• 3.keep separate分开放
• 4.go their separate ways各奔东西

Example Sentences

• 1.

  Please separate the recycling from the regular trash.

• 2.

  After fifteen years of marriage, the couple decided to separate.

• 3.

  Keep your work email separate from your personal one.