Emily Dickinson Lexicon

SEV'ER, v.t. [Fr. sevrer; It. sevrare. There may be a doubt whether sever is derived from the Latin separo. The French has both sevrer, as well as separer; and the Italian, sevrare, scevrare and sceverare, as well as separare. The It. scevrare coincides well in orthography with Eng. shiver; and this with Heb. שבר, Ch. Syr. and Ar. תבר, to break. The latter are the same word with different prefixes. See Class Br, No. 26, 27.]

1. To part or divide by violence; to separate by cutting or rending; as, to sever the body or the arm at a single stroke.
2. To part from the rest by violence; as, to sever the head from the body.
3. To separate; to disjoin, as distinct things, but united; as, the dearest friends severed by cruel necessity.
4. To separate and put in different orders or places. The angels shall come forth and sever the wicked from among the just. – Matth. xiii.
5. To disjoin; to disunite; in a general sense, but usually implying violence.
6. To keep distinct or apart. – Exod. viii.
7. In law, to disunite; to disconnect; to part possession; as, to sever an estate in joint-tenancy. – Blackstone.