To separate a pair or matched set of things; to break up a partnership or matching.
From de- (prefix meaning to reverse or remove) + pair (from Old French paire, from Latin paris, meaning equal). First appeared in English to describe breaking up matched items or partnerships.
While 'pair' comes from the Latin word for 'equal,' depair suggests an asymmetry—making it poetically opposite to its root, which is why separating matched socks or breaking up a dance team creates such a sense of incompleteness.
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