> as lemmas

c1400 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Trin. Cambr. R.3.14) (1960) A. viii. 101 (MED) Peris at his preyour þe pardoun vnfoldiþ..And piers for tene pulde [v.rr. pulled, pollede; plukked] it assondir.

1565 T. Cooper Thesaurus Distrahere cohærentia, to pull a sunder or seperate thyngs ioyned.

1599 Bp. J. King Lect. Ionas (new ed.) xl. 543 He shall rather teare it with his teeth, and pull it asunder with his nailes, than rightly divide it.

1639 J. Woodall Treat. Plague in Surgeons Mate (rev. ed.) 344 Take Saffron..then tease it, I meane, pull the parts thereof asunder.

1656 tr. T. Hobbes Elements Philos. iv. xxviii. 353 When we would pull one part of it from another, we first make the whole mass slenderer, before we can pull it asunder.

1796 C. Marshall Introd. Knowl. & Pract. Gardening v. 86 The roots..must be taken vp, and then carefully pulled, or cut asunder with a sharp instrument, as the case may require.

1826 W. Scott Woodstock I. viii. 204 To be now pulled asunder, broken piece-meal and reduced.

1936 E. A. Atkins & A. G. Walker Electr. Arc & Oxy-acetylene Welding (ed. 3) xxi. 304 The strength of a bar of metal can be defined as the greatest load which can be applied in an effort to pull it asunder longitudinally.