divorce

Multiple Entries:
  divorce    divorcee  

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
divorce/dɪˈvɔːs/

▶noun the legal dissolution of a marriage.

■ a legal decree dissolving a marriage.

▶verb

• 1 legally dissolve one's marriage with.

• 2 detach or dissociate: religion cannot be divorced from morality.

– derivatives
divorcement noun.

– origin ME: from OFr. divorce, from L. divortium, based on divertere (see divert).

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
divorcee /ˌdɪvɔːˈsiː/

▶noun (US masc. divorcé, fem. divorcée /-ˈseɪ/) a divorced person.

– origin C19: from Fr. divorcé(e) ‘divorced man (or woman)’.