separate may imply any of several causes such as dispersion, removal of one from others, or presence of an intervening thing.
separated her personal life from her career
part implies the separating of things or persons in close union or association.
vowed never to part
divide implies separating into pieces or sections by cutting or breaking.
civil war divided the nation
sever implies violence especially in the removal of a part or member.
a severed limb
sunder suggests violent rending or wrenching apart.
a city sundered by racial conflict
divorce implies separating two things that commonly interact and belong together.
cannot divorce scientific research from moral responsibility
Example Sentences
Noun (1) Since getting a divorce, she has been raising her children alone. They went through a lengthy divorce. Their marriage ended in divorce. Financial problems are a leading cause of divorce. Verb After years of unhappiness, she decided to divorce him. They both agreed it was best to divorce. Their constitution divorces church and state. See More
Word History
Etymology
Noun (1) and Verb
Middle English divorse, from Anglo-French, from Latin divortium, from divertere, divortere to divert, to leave one's husband