Verb

(en verb)

To cut free.

After he graduated, he severed all links to his family.

to sever the head from the body

* Bible, Matthew xiii. 49

The angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just.

To suffer disjunction; to be parted or separated.

(Shakespeare)

To make a separation or distinction; to distinguish.

The Lord shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt. — Ex. ix. 4.

They claimed the right of severing in their challenge. — Macaulay.

(legal) To disunite; to disconnect; to terminate.

to sever an estate in joint tenancy

(Blackstone)

Verb

(en verb)

To throw into confusion or disorder.

To interrupt or impede.

*{{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-19, author= Ian Sample

, volume=189, issue=6, page=34, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Irregular bedtimes may affect children's brains , passage=Irregular bedtimes may disrupt healthy brain development in young children, according to a study of intelligence and sleeping habits.  ¶ Going to bed at a different time each night affected girls more than boys, but both fared worse on mental tasks than children who had a set bedtime, researchers found.}}

To improve a product or service in ways that displaces an established one and surprises the market.

The internet makes it easier for leaner businesses to disrupt the larger and more unwieldy ones.