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dissever

Verb
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

To sever, separate, or divide completely; an intensive form of sever often used in romantic or tragic poetry regarding parted lovers or souls.

Detailed Definition
“Dissever” means to force apart or sever a connection. Poe uses it for the claim that neither supernatural beings nor death can separate the speaker’s soul from Annabel Lee’s.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Can ever dissever my soul from the soul / Of the beautiful Annabel Lee” (Poe, “Annabel Lee”); “No sword can dissever love’s remembered thread” (figurative separation); “The axe dissevered branch from trunk” (literal use); “Distance cannot dissever us from home” (contemporary emotional use)
Additional Notes
The quoted verb is rare and formal in modern English, unlike the more familiar word “separate.”; Found in the poem, Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe
Also Known As
sever divide separate
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