divorce

Noun

divorce (plural divorces)

1. The legal dissolution of a marriage.

   Richard obtained a divorce from his wife some years ago, but hasn't returned to the dating scene.

2. A separation of connected things.

   The Civil War split between Virginia and West Virginia was a divorce based along cultural and economic, as well as geographic, lines.

Synonyms

• (legal dissolution of a marriage): divorcement
• (separation of connected things): partition, separation, severance

Antonyms

• marriage

Divorce (or the dissolution of marriage) is the final termination of a marital union, cancelling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties. In most countries divorce requires the sanction of a court or other authority in a legal process. In Canada, Saskatchewan allows married persons to "become the spouse of a person who has a spouse" {s.51 Saskatchewan Family Property Act}. As such divorce is not required in order to be judicially declared the legal spouse of another person simultaneous to an existing marriage. The legal process for divorce may also involve issues of spousal support, child custody, child support, distribution of property and division of debt.

In most Western countries, a divorce does not declare a marriage null and void, as in an annulment, but it does cancel the married status of the parties. Where monogamy is law, this allows each former partner to marry another. Where polygyny is legal, divorce allows the woman to marry another. Divorce laws vary considerably around the world. Divorce is not permitted in some countries, such as in Malta and in the Philippines, though an annulment is permitted. From 1971 to 1996, four European countries legalised divorce: Spain, Italy, Portugal and the Republic of Ireland.

Divorce or dissolution of marriage is the ending of a marriage before the death of either spouse.

Unsourced

• "Marriage is wonderful when it lasts forever, and I envy the old couples in When Harry Met Sally who reminisce tearfully about the day they met 50 years before. I no longer believe, however, that a marriage is a failure if it doesn't last forever. It may be a tragedy, but it is not necessarily a failure. And when a marriage does last forever with love alive, it is a miracle." Peggy O'Mara, Mothering, Fall 1989

• "Ah, yes, divorce, from the Latin word meaning to rip out a man's genitals through his wallet." Robin Williams

• “If you don't want your wife to have your “assets”, put them in trust.” Swami Raj

• “Statistics show that 100% of all divorces start with marriage.” Anonymous

• “The happiest time of anyone's life is just after the first divorce.” John Kenneth Galbraith

• “Marriages don't last. When I meet a guy, the first question I ask myself is: “Is this the man I want my children to spend their weekends with?”” Rita Rudner

• "Of course there is such a thing as love, or there wouldn't be so many divorces." Ed Howe

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