The process of legally ending a marriage and becoming no longer married to someone.
From Old French 'divorcer,' from Latin 'divortium,' combining 'dis-' (apart) and 'vertere' (to turn). The legal meaning developed in Middle English as churches and states formalized marriage dissolution.
Historically, divorce was nearly impossible—in medieval Europe, the Catholic Church basically wouldn't allow it, which is why King Henry VIII broke with Rome just to divorce Catherine of Aragon. Today's 'no-fault divorce' would have seemed like magic to people 60 years ago.
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