detachment

From French détachement. By surface analysis, detach +‎ -ment.

• IPA^(key): /dɪˈtæt͡ʃmənt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: de‧tach‧ment

detachment (countable and uncountable, plural detachments)

1. (uncountable) The action of detaching; separation.
   • 1944 November and December, T. F. Cameron, “Motor and Cartage Working”, in Railway Magazine, page 335:

     But the horse has left his mark, for his successor is a mechanical horse designed to a large extent to copy the leading characteristics of the live horse; easy attachment to or detachment from its load, a small turning circle, a small appetite for petrol, but giving a much higher acceleration and speed, and so capable of much greater distances, so that fewer cartage units are required.

2. (uncountable) The state of being detached or disconnected; insulation.
3. (uncountable) Indifference to the concerns of others; disregard; nonchalance; aloofness.
4. (uncountable) Absence of bias; impartiality; objectivity.
5. (uncountable, military) The separation of a military unit from the main body for a particular purpose or special mission.
6. (countable, military) The unit so dispatched.
   • 1958, A. V. H. Hartendorp, History of Industry and Trade of the Philippines: The Magsaysay Administration‎, →OCLC, page 218:

     Vietnamese sovereignty over the Paracels dated back at least to the early 19th century, when Emperor Gia-Long sent a detachment to Hoang Sa Island, it remained until the establishment of French protectorate over Annam, when France assumed responsibility for the islands.

7. (countable, military) A permanent unit organized for special duties.
8. (countable) Any smaller portion of a main body separately employed.

• semi-detachment