separation (noun)
1: the act of dividing or disconnecting
2: coming apart [syn: breakup, detachment]
3: the state of lacking unity [ant: union]
4: the distance between things; "fragile items require separation and cushioning" [syn: interval]
5: sorting one thing from others; "the separation of wheat from chaff"; "the separation of mail by postal zones"
6: the social act of separating or parting company; "the separation of church and state"
7: the space where a division or parting occurs; "he hid in the separation between walls"
8: termination of employment (by resignation or dismissal)
9: (law) the cessation of cohabitation of man and wife (either by mutual agreement or under a court order) [syn: [[legal separation]]]