séloignent

Séloignent is the third-person plural present indicative form of the pronominal French verb s'éloigner, meaning to move away or to distance oneself. The form is used when the subject (they) is performing the action of distancing itself from a person, place, or situation.

Usage notes: s'éloigner can describe physical movement away from a location as well as figurative distancing, such as withdrawal from a conflict, disengagement from a relationship, or shifting emotional or ideological distance. Examples include Ils s'éloignent du centre-ville pour gagner la campagne, meaning they move away from the city center; or Ils s'éloignent progressivement l'un des autres, meaning they gradually distance themselves from each other.

Conjugation: as a pronominal verb, the present tense forms are je m'éloigne, tu t'éloignes, il s'éloigne, nous nous éloignons, vous vous éloignez, ils s'éloignent. The verb also appears in other tenses and moods (s'éloigner, s'éloignait, s'éloigneront, etc.).

Transitive counterpart: éloigner (without se) means to cause someone or something to move away or to separate, for example, Ils éloignent les enfants du danger. The noun form éloignement refers to the act or state of becoming distant.

Etymology: s'éloigner derives from the root meaning far (loin) with historical prefixes and forms such as esloigner in Old French, evolving into the modern pronominal form. It shares a semantic link with the adjective loin (far) and the concept of distance.