Word of the Day
: August 14, 2023asunder
playWhat It Means
Asunder is most often used as an adverb—often with a verb such as tear or pull—to mean "apart" or "into pieces." It is more rarely used as an adjective meaning "apart from each other," as in "he stood with his legs wide asunder."
// The park was torn asunder by yesterday's microburst, and many of its trails have been blocked by fallen trees.
asunder in Context
"House of the Dragon chronicles the events leading up to and during the Dance of the Dragons, the name given by the poets of Westeros to a gruesome civil war that tore House Targaryen asunder." — Nick Romano, EW.com, 11 Aug. 2022
Did You Know?
To get to the root of today’s word, it helps to take it apart and focus on the sunder. You see, asunder comes from the verb sunder, which means "to break apart" or "to become parted, disunited, or severed." Both words come from the Old English word sundor, meaning "apart." The adverbial "into parts" sense of asunder is often used in the phrase "tear asunder," which can be used both literally (as in "fabric torn asunder") and, more often, figuratively (as in "a community torn asunder by the dispute"). The adjectival "apart from each other" sense can be found in the phrase "poles asunder," used to describe two things that are as vastly far apart as the poles of the Earth.
Word Family Quiz
What is the meaning of the adjective sundry (a relative of Old English sundor, meaning "apart")?
VIEW THE ANSWERPodcast
More Words of the Day
-
Oct 31
hallowed
-
Oct 30
syncretism
-
Oct 29
omniscient
-
Oct 28
disbursement
-
Oct 27
usurp
-
Oct 26
categorical