asunder
Etymology

From Middle English asunder, asondre, onsunder, on sondre, from Old English asundran, onsundrum, from Proto-Germanic *sunder, *sundraz.

Pronunciation
  • (British, RP) IPA: /əˈsʌndə/
  • (America, America) enPR: ə-sŭnʹdər, IPA: /əˈsʌndɚ/
Adverb

asunder

  1. (archaic, literary) Into separate parts or pieces.
    Synonyms: apart, in twain
    to tear asunder
    • c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merry Wiues of Windsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act III, scene i]:
      Page. I warrant you, he’s the man should fight with him.
      Robert Shallow. […] It appears so by his weapons. Keep them asunder:
    • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC ↗, Psalms 2:3 ↗:
      Let vs breake their bandes asunder, and cast away their cords from vs.
    • 1726 October 27, [Jonathan Swift], Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver's Travels], London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […], →OCLC ↗, (please specify |part=I to IV), page 57 ↗:
      He desired I would stand like a Colossus, with my Legs as far asunder as I conveniently could.
Synonyms Translations
  • French: en morceaux
  • German: in Stücke, entzwei, auseinander
  • Italian: in pezzi
  • Portuguese: em pedaços
  • Russian: на части
  • Spanish: en dos, en pedazos



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