Wednesday, March 11, 2015

severe, sever

Severe or severe means harsh or stern--
The reprimand was severe, but the punishment was trivial.
The general resorted to severe measures to restore order.
Severe may also mean serious or critical--
He just got over a severe case of the flu.
The accident caused severe but temporary financial difficulties.

Sever or sever means to separate; to cut or break off a part from the whole, literally or figuratively--
The next cut will sever the branch from the tree; stand back.
It will be difficult to sever our ties to this old house.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The shock was severe; he plans to sever his relationship with the firm."

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