- 1
Of two or more people or things:; Apart or separate from each other.archaicliterary
- Page. I vvarrant you, hee's the man ſhould fight vvith him. / […] [Robert] Shal[low]. It appeares ſo by his vveapons: keep them aſunder: […]
- Heer's a coyle to keep fire and tovv a ſunder.
- 2
Of two or more people or things:; Moving apart from each other.archaicliterary
- Our hartes ſwelled, as that they ſhoulde breake / The fire of loue, was ſo ſore kept vnder / When I from her, ſhoulde departe aſunder
- Thoughe the lordes departed euery daye vnagreed⸝ yet they departed a ſõder [a sonder] right amiably⸝ for euery daye they poynted to mete agayne the nexte day⸝ bothe parties truſtyng at laſt to cõclude [conclude] on ſome good poynt.
- 3
Into separate parts or pieces, often due to some violent action.alsoarchaicfiguratively
- to crack asunder torn asunder
- 4
Apart from other people; individually, separately; specifically, in private, privately.archaicliteraryobsolete
- [I]t vvas Employment enough for us to keep them [the prisoners] aſſunder, and ſupply them vvith Victuals.
- 5
Chiefly in the form to know asunder: in a manner distinguishable from other similar things.archaicliteraryobsolete
- Ye summond our kynge,—why dyd ye so? / […] / Know ye not suger and salt asonder? / Your sumner to saucy, to malapert, / Your harrold in armes not yet halfe experte.
- Foure ſorts of Marle be found in this VVeald, knovvne aſunder by the difference of colours, and thereby alſo differing in degrees of goodneſſe one from the other: […]
syn. apart · asunder · half and half · in sunder · piecemeal