sev·er 
(sĕvər)
(sĕvər)tr.v. sev·ered, sev·er·ing, sev·ers
1. To cut off (a part) from a whole: severed the branch from the tree.
2. To divide into parts; break or interrupt: sever a cord; severed the army's supply lines.
3. To break up (a relationship, for example); dissolve. See Synonyms at separate.
[Middle English severen, from Anglo-Norman severer, from Vulgar Latin *sēperāre, from Latin sēparāre; see SEPARATE.]