[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

severance \sev"erance\, n.
   1. the act of severing, or the state of being severed;
      partition; separation. --milman.
      1913 webster

   2. law the act of dividing; the singling or severing of two
      or more that join, or are joined, in one writ; the putting
      in several or separate pleas or answers by two or more
      disjointly; the destruction of the unity of interest in a
      joint estate. --bouvier.
      1913 webster

[2] : WordNet (r) 2.0

severance
     n 1: a personal or social separation as between opposing
          factions; "they hoped to avoid a break in relations"
          syn: rupture, breach, break, rift, falling out
     2: the act of severing syn: severing
see also:
rupture breach break rift falling out severing 

[3] : Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

69 moby thesaurus words for "severance":
   abscission, alteration, amputation, analysis, anatomization,
   atomization, butchering, change, chopping, clearance, cleavage,
   cutting, demarcation, deportation, desynonymization, detachment,
   dichotomy, differencing, differentiation, discard, discrimination,
   disequalization, disjunction, disposal, disposition, distinction,
   distinguishment, diversification, division, ejection, elimination,
   enucleation, eradication, excision, exile, expatriation, expulsion,
   fission, individualization, individuation, laceration, liquidation,
   modification, mutilation, ostracism, outlawing, outlawry,
   particularization, personalization, purge, removal, rending,
   resection, riddance, ripping, scission, section, segregation,
   separation, severalization, slashing, slicing, specialization,
   splitting, surgery, suspension, tearing, variation, withdrawal

[4] : Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856)

severance, pleading. when an action is brought in the name of several 
plaintiffs, in which the plaintiffs must of necessity join, and one or more 
of the persons so named do not appear, or make default after appearance, the 
other may have judgment of severance, or, as it is technically called, 
judgment ad sequendum solum. 
     2. but in personal actions, with the exception of those by executors, 
and of detinue for charters, there can be no summons and severance. co. lit. 
139. 
     3. after severance, the party severed can never be mentioned in the 
suit, nor derive any advantage from it. 
     4. when there are several defendants, each of them may use such plea 
as, he may think proper for his own defence; and they may join in the same 
plea, or sever at their discretion; co. litt. 303, a except perhaps, in the 
case of dilatory pleas. hob. 245, 250. but when the defendants have once 
united in the plea, they cannot afterwards sever at the rejoinder, or other 
later stage of the pleading. vide, generally, bro. summ. and sev.; 2 rolle, 
488; archb. civ. pl. 59. 

[5] : Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856)

severance, estates. the act by which any one of the unities of a joint 
tenancy is effected, is so called; because the estate is no longer a joint 
tenancy, but is severed. 
     2. a severance may be effected in various ways, namely: 1. by 
partition, which is either voluntary or compulsory. 2. by alienation of one 
of the joint tenants, which turns the estate into a tenancy in common. 3. by 
the purchase or descent of all the shares of the joint tenants, so that the 
whole estate becomes vested in one only. com. dig. estates by grant, k 5; 1 
binn. r. 175. 

     3. in another and a less technical sense, severance is the separation 
of a part of a thing from another; for example, the separation of machinery 
from a mill, is a severance, and, in that case, the machinery which while 
annexed to the mill was real estate, becomes by the severance; personalty, 
unless such severance be merely temporary. 8 wend. r. 587. 

[6] : U.S. Gazetteer (1990)

severance, co town, fips 69150
  location: 40.52241 n, 104.84961 w
  population 1990: 106 46 housing units
  area: 0.5 sq km land, 0.0 sq km water
severance, ks city, fips 64025
  location: 39.76686 n, 95.24885 w
  population 1990: 98 53 housing units
  area: 0.3 sq km land, 0.0 sq km water
  zip codes: 66087
severance, ny
  zip codes: 12872

[7] : U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000)

severance, co -- u.s. town in colorado
   population 2000:    597
   housing units 2000: 207
   land area 2000:     2.069528 sq. miles 5.360053 sq. km
   water area 2000:    0.065733 sq. miles 0.170248 sq. km
   total area 2000:    2.135261 sq. miles 5.530301 sq. km
   fips code:            69150
   located within:       colorado co, fips 08
   location:             40.535208 n, 104.850761 w
   zip codes 1990:    
   note: some zip codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
   headwords:
    severance, co
    severance

[8] : U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000)

severance, ks -- u.s. city in kansas
   population 2000:    108
   housing units 2000: 53
   land area 2000:     0.128303 sq. miles 0.332303 sq. km
   water area 2000:    0.000000 sq. miles 0.000000 sq. km
   total area 2000:    0.128303 sq. miles 0.332303 sq. km
   fips code:            64025
   located within:       kansas ks, fips 20
   location:             39.767644 n, 95.250303 w
   zip codes 1990:     66087
   note: some zip codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
   headwords:
    severance, ks
    severance

Severance >> S Words
Severance, definition of term: Severance
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