- divest
- \ \ see VEST
Word origins - 2ed. J. Ayto. 2005.
divest
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divest — di‧vest [daɪˈvest, d ] verb FINANCE 1. [transitive] if a group divests one of the companies that it owns, it gets rid of it by selling it: • We fulfilled our commitment to shareholders to divest our downstream business by creating a new company … Financial and business terms
divest — The traditional uses of divest are as a somewhat formal word meaning ‘to undress’ and, in the reflexive form divest oneself of, in the sense ‘to dispossess oneself of’ (typically with reference to rights, powers, etc., or as a humorous… … Modern English usage
divest of — [phrasal verb] formal 1 divest (someone or something) of (something) : to take (something) away from (someone or something else) : to cause (someone or something) to lose or give up (something) The document does not divest her of her right to use … Useful english dictionary
Divest — Di*vest , v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Divested}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Divesting}.] [LL. divestire (di = dis + L. vestire to dress), equiv. to L. devestire. It is the same word as devest, but the latter is rarely used except as a technical term in law. See… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
divest — di·vest /dī vest, də / vt [Anglo French devestir, literally, to undress, from Old French desvestir, from de(s) , prefix marking reversal + vestir to dress, from Latin vestire]: to deprive or dispossess (oneself) of property through divestiture… … Law dictionary
divest of — index abridge (divest) Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
divest — ► VERB (divest of) 1) deprive or dispossess (someone or something) of. 2) free or rid of. ORIGIN Old French desvestir, from Latin vestire clothe … English terms dictionary
divest — [də vest′, dīvest′] vt. [altered < DEVEST] 1. to strip of clothing, equipment, etc. 2. to deprive or dispossess of rank, rights, etc. 3. to disencumber or rid of something unwanted 4. Law DEVEST SYN. STRIP … English World dictionary
divest — 1560s, devest (modern spelling is c.1600), from M.Fr. devester strip of possessions, from O.Fr. desvestir, from des away (see DIS (Cf. dis )) + vestir to clothe (see VEST (Cf. vest) (v.)). The figurative sense of strip of possessions is earliest… … Etymology dictionary
divest — *strip, denude, bare, dismantle Antonyms: invest, vest (in robes of office, with power or authority): apparel, clothe … New Dictionary of Synonyms
divest — [v] dispossess; take off bankrupt, bare, bereave, bleed, denudate, denude, deprive, despoil, disinherit, dismantle, disrobe, ditch*, doff, dump, eighty six*, lose, milk*, oust, plunder, remove, rob, seize, spoil, strip, take from, unclothe,… … New thesaurus
