dispair

English

Etymology

From dis- +‎ pair.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌdɪsˈpɛə(ɹ)/

Verb

dispair (third-person singular simple present dispairs, present participle dispairing, simple past and past participle dispaired)

1. (transitive, uncommon) To separate (a pair).

   Hypernyms: disassociate, separate; split up, break up, break apart

   Near-synonyms: unpair; decouple, uncouple

   • c. 1608–1613, Nathan Field, John Fletcher, “Four Playes, or Morall Representations, in One”, in Comedies and Tragedies […], London: […] Humphrey Robinson, […], and for Humphrey Moseley […], published 1647, →OCLC, [The Triumph of Love, scene v], page 37, column 1:

     Forgive me, Lady, I have deſtroyed Gerrard, and thee; rebell'd againſt heavens ordinance; diſ-pair'd two doves, made 'em ſit mourning; [...]

Usage notes

Not to be confused with despair, a homophone or near-homophone.

Related terms

• disparate

 

Translations

• Spanish: desparejar (es)

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.
(See the entry for “dispair”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.)

Anagrams

• diapirs