divest

Verb
Synonyms: deprivestripdisinvestundress

WordNet 3.0

Verb (4)

  1. take away possessions from someone“The Nazis stripped the Jews of all their assets”Synonyms: deprivestrip
  2. deprive of status or authority“he was divested of his rights and his title”“They disinvested themselves of their rights”Synonyms: disinvest
  3. reduce or dispose of; cease to hold (an investment)“The company decided to divest”“the board of trustees divested $20 million in real estate property”“There was pressure on the university to disinvest in South Africa”Synonyms: disinvest
  4. remove (someone's or one's own) clothes“The nurse quickly undressed the accident victim”“She divested herself of her outdoor clothes”“He disinvested himself of his garments”Synonyms: stripundressdisinvest
Advertisement

Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

Divest \Di*vest"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Divested; p. pr. & vb. n. Divesting.] [LL. divestire (di- = dis- + L. vestire to dress), equiv. to L. devestire. It is the same word as devest, but the latter is rarely used except as a technical term in law. See Devest, Vest.]

1.To unclothe; to strip, as of clothes, arms, or equipage; -- opposed to invest. [1913 Webster]

2.Fig.: To strip; to deprive; to dispossess; as, to divest one of his rights or privileges; to divest one's self of prejudices, passions, etc. [1913 Webster]

Wretches divested of every moral feeling.— Goldsmith.[1913 Webster]
The tendency of the language to divest itself of its gutturals.— Earle.[1913 Webster]

3.(Law) See Devest. --Mozley & W. [1913 Webster]

Advertisement