Moving or keeping apart; dividing into different parts or groups; or ending a relationship.
From Latin 'separare' meaning to prepare apart (se- meaning apart + parare meaning to prepare). The word has described both physical division and emotional disconnection since the 1500s.
Psychologists discovered 'separation anxiety' isn't just about missing someone—it triggers an actual stress response in the body, raising cortisol levels, which is why saying goodbye to people we love feels physically painful, not just emotionally sad.
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