divorate

Divorate is an English verb meaning to dissolve a marriage or to obtain a divorce. It is now considered archaic or obsolete in modern usage; the verb divorce is dominant in contemporary English. The term appears in older legal and literary texts, particularly from the Early Modern period, and is sometimes used synonymously with divorce in that historical context.

Etymology and history: Divorate was formed during the period when the noun divorce and the verb to divorce were in use. It is linked to the same roots that underlie divorce, but today the verb divorce is far more common. The form with the -ate ending appears in older dictionaries as meaning “to obtain a divorce” or “to dissolve a marriage,” and it gradually fell out of standard usage.

Usage and context: Because it is obsolete in most modern registers, you are unlikely to see divorate in current legal texts or everyday writing. When referring to ending a marriage today, one would normally say “to divorce,” “to obtain a divorce,” or “to dissolve a marriage.” In contrast, annulment is used to indicate a declaration that a marriage never legally existed, rather than ended.

See also: divorce, dissolution of marriage, annulment, marital separation.