separation

/ˌsep·əˈreɪ·ʃən/ n [C/U]

Definition

› the act of separating two or more people or things, or the state of being separated: [U] The laws now require the separation of garbage that can be recycled, such as newspapers and glass bottles. › A separation is an arrangement, often a legal one, by which two married people stop living together as husband and wife.

(Definition of separation n from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)