Several

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• several — sev·er·al adj [Anglo French, from Medieval Latin separalis, from Latin separ separate] 1 a: of or relating separately to each individual involved; specif: enforceable separately against each party each promisor owed a several duty see also… …   Law dictionary

• Several — Sev er*al, a. [OF., fr. LL. separalis, fr. L. separ separate, different. See {Sever}, {Separate}.] 1. Separate; distinct; particular; single. [1913 Webster] Each several ship a victory did gain. Dryden. [1913 Webster] Each might his several… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

• Several — Sev er*al, n. 1. Each particular taken singly; an item; a detail; an individual. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] There was not time enough to hear . . . The severals. Shak. [1913 Webster] 2. Persons oe objects, more than two, but not very many. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

• several — is an adjective and pronoun. As an adjective, it is only used with plural countable nouns (several people but not several furniture) and is more positive in implication than a few. However, unlike a few, several cannot be qualified by an adverb… …   Modern English usage

• several — [sev′ər əl, sev′rəl] adj. [ME < Anglo Fr < ML separalis < L separ, separate, back form. < separare: see SEPARATE] 1. existing apart; separate; distinct; individual 2. different; respective [parted and went their several ways] 3. more… …   English World dictionary

• Several — Sev er*al, adv. By itself; severally. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] Every kind of thing is laid up several in barns or storehoudses. Robynson (More s Utopia). [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

• several — early 15c., existing apart, from Anglo Fr. several, from M.Fr. seperalis separate, from L. separe (ablative of *separ distinct ), back formation from separare to separate (see SEPARATE (Cf. separate)). Meaning various, diverse, different is… …   Etymology dictionary

• several — 1 *distinct, separate, discrete Analogous words: individual, particular, *special, especial 2 *many, sundry, various, divers, numerous, multifarious Analogous words: *single, separate, particular: detached, disengaged (see …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

• several — [adj] assorted, various a few, a lot, any, certain, considerable, definite, different, disparate, distinct, divers, diverse, handful, hardly any, indefinite, individual, infrequent, manifold, many, not many, numerous, only a few, particular,… …   New thesaurus

• several — ► DETERMINER & PRONOUN ▪ more than two but not many. ► ADJECTIVE ▪ separate or respective. DERIVATIVES severally adverb. ORIGIN Old French, from Latin separ separate, different …   English terms dictionary

• several — sev|er|al [ sev(ə)rəl ] function word, quantifier *** Several can be used in the following ways: as a determiner (followed by a plural noun): Several buildings were damaged by the explosion. as a pronoun: If you want to see Edward s paintings,… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English