Disengage
/ˌdɪs.ɪnˈɡeɪdʒ/noun
To withdraw from involvement, connection, or physical contact.
Did you know?Engage originally carried the sense of pledging oneself—especially to a duty, service, or marriage—so to disengage was literally to release that bond.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
Proto-Germanic
*wadią
“A pledge, security, or guarantee given as a bond.”
Medieval Latin
Latin
vadium
“A pledge or security; a related borrowing from Germanic legal vocabulary.”
12th Century
Old French
gage
“A pledge, security, or object given as a guarantee.”
12th–13th Century
Old French
engagier
“To pledge, bind, or place under obligation; literally to put into a pledge.”
16th Century
English
engage
“To bind oneself, enter into an agreement, or become involved.”
17th Century
French/English
désengager / disengage
“To release from an obligation or connection; later, to withdraw or detach.”