Asunder can be traced back to the Old English word sundor, meaning "apart." It is a relative of the verb sunder, which means "to break apart" or "to become parted, disunited, or severed." The "into parts" sense of asunder is often used in the phrase "tear asunder," which can be used both literally and figuratively (as in "a family torn asunder by tragedy"). The "apart from each other" sense can be found in the phrase "poles asunder," used to describe two things that are as vastly far apart as the poles of the Earth.