several: [15] Etymologically, several means ‘separate’. It comes via Anglo-Norman several from medieval Latin sēparālis, a derivative of Latin sēpar ‘separate’. This in turn was formed from sēparāre ‘separate’ (source of English separate), whose Vulgar Latin descendant *sēperāre passed into English via Anglo- Norman severer as sever [14]. Several’s original sense ‘separate, individual’ survives in legal terminology, but it has been superseded in the general language by ‘many’, which emerged in the 16th and 17th centuries via ‘different, various’. => prepare, separate, sever
several (adj.)
early 15c., "existing apart," from Anglo-French several, from Middle French seperalis "separate," from Medieval Latin separalis, from Latin separ "separate, different," back-formation from separare "to separate" (see separate (v.)). Meaning "various, diverse, different" is attested from c. 1500; that of "more than one" is from 1530s, originally in legal use.
Here we are all, by day; by night we're hurled
By dreams, each one into a several world
[Herrick, 1648]
Related: Severalty. Jocular ordinal form severalth attested from 1902 in American English dialect (see -th (2)).
实用例句
1. Several proposals are under consideration by the state assembly.
有几个提案州议会正在讨论中。
来自柯林斯例句
2. He entered for many competitions, winning several gold medals.
他参加过多次比赛，赢得了数枚金牌。
来自柯林斯例句
3. Several hundred workers struck in sympathy with their colleagues.
几百名工人罢工以声援他们的同事。
来自柯林斯例句
4. She travels con-stantly, moving among her several residences around the world.
她经常旅行，穿梭于她在世界各地的多处住所。
来自柯林斯例句
5. We felt we were living life on several different planes.
