different between asunder vs atwain

English

Alternative forms

• asundre (obsolete)

Etymology

Originally two words; from Old English on (“a (preposition)”) sundran (“separate position”), from Proto-Germanic *sunder, *sundraz. Cognate with Danish sønder, Swedish sönder, Dutch zonder, German sonder, Icelandic sundur, Faroese sundur and Norwegian sunder/sønder; akin to Gothic ???????????????????????? (sundr?).

Pronunciation

• (UK, Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /??s?nd?/
• (US, General American) enPR: ?-s?n?d?r, IPA^(key): /??s?nd?/
• Rhymes: -?nd?(?)
• Hyphenation: asun?der

Adverb

asunder (comparative more asunder, superlative most asunder)

1. (archaic, literary) Into separate parts or pieces.

   Synonyms: apart, in twain

   Lest anyone find her treasure, she tore the map asunder and cast its pieces into the wind.

   • c. 1600,, William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act III, Scene 1,^[1]

     Page. I warrant you, he’s the man should fight with him.

     Robert Shallow. […] It appears so by his weapons. Keep them asunder:

   • 1611, King James Version of the Bible, Psalm 2.3,^[2]

     Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

   • 1726, Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels, Volume 1, Part 1, Chapter 3, p. 57,^[3]

     He desired I would stand like a Colossus, with my Legs as far asunder as I conveniently could.

   • 1985, Kate Bush, Running Up That Hill

     You don't want to hurt me, but see how deep the bullet lies. Unaware that I'm tearing you asunder. There is thunder in our hearts.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:asunder

Derived terms

• put asunder

Translations

Anagrams

• Urendas, asundre, dauners, enduras, unreads

English

Etymology

From a- +? twain.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??twe?n/
• Rhymes: -e?n

Adverb

atwain (not comparable)

1. (archaic) Into two parts.

   Synonyms: apart, asunder, in twain, in two

   • 1896, William Morris, The Well at the World’s End, London: Longmans, Green, Volume 2, Chapter 11, p. 55,^[1]

     […] a much wider valley into which a great reef of rocks thrust out from the high mountain, so that the northern half of the said vale was nigh cleft atwain by it;

   • 1939, Henry Miller, Tropic of Capricorn, New York: Grove Press, 1987, Chapter , p. 298,^[2]

     the elevated structure which cuts it [this street] atwain

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:asunder

Anagrams

• T'ai-wan, Taiwan