English

Noun

disengagement ‎(plural disengagements)

1. Release or detachment from a physical situation or other involvement.
   • 1818, Sir Walter Scott, Rob Roy, ch. 10,

     My thanks to you for my speedy disengagement from the ridiculous accusation of Morris.

2. The separation or release of a chemical.
   • 1836, Washington Irving, Astoria, ch. 26,

     Others have endeavored to account for these discharges of "mountain artillery" on humbler principles; attributing them . . . to the disengagement of hydrogen, produced by subterraneous beds of coal in a state of ignition.

3. (dated) Leisure; relief from responsibilities or onerous activities.
4. (military, politics) Withdrawal from combat, confrontation, or the assertion of influence.
5. Termination of an agreement to be married.
6. (fencing) A circular movement of the blade that blocks an opponent's parry.
   • 1895, Francis Marion Crawford, Taquisara, ch. 23,

     There was a quick flash, a disengagement, a feint, a lunge that was like a man's, and as her long left arm shot out like lightning, her foil bent nearly double.

7. (medicine, obstetrics) The emergence of the fetus from the birth canal.

Related terms

• disengage
• engagement
• engage

References

• disengagement at OneLook Dictionary Search
• Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., 1989.