divorce

¹di·vorce

noun \də-ˈvȯrs also dī-\

Definition of DIVORCE

1

: the action or an instance of legally dissolving a marriage

2

: separation, severance <divorce of the secular and the spiritual>

Examples of DIVORCE

1. Since getting a divorce, she has been raising her children alone.
2. They went through a lengthy divorce.
3. Their marriage ended in divorce.
4. Financial problems are a leading cause of divorce.

Origin of DIVORCE

Middle English divorse, from Anglo-French, from Latin divortium, from divertere, divortere to divert, to leave one's husband

First Known Use: 14th century

Other Legal Terms

actionable, alienable, carceral, chattel, complicity, decedent, larceny, malfeasance, modus operandi