sunder

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   literary: to split, sever, or force apart

   The impact threatened to sunder the wooden gate from its hinges.

2. 2
   verb

   literary: to separate people, places, or relationships

   Years of conflict began to sunder the former allies.

3. 3
   noun

   archaic: a separation or division, especially in the phrase in sunder

   The axe struck the board and split it in sunder.

From Middle English sunder and Old English sundor, 'apart or separately,' from a Germanic word also represented by German sonder- and Old Norse sundr. The older adverb and adjective senses gave rise to the verb 'separate' and the rare noun for a division.

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