separator

Everyday

1. Something that keeps two things apart or divides one thing into parts, such as a line, a wall or a sheet. tree →
2. A machine that splits a mixture into its parts, for example cream from milk or oil from water. tree →
3. (computing, writing) A symbol such as a comma, a full stop, a slash or a space that shows where one item ends and the next begins. tree →
4. (maths) The symbol used to split groups of digits or the whole part from the decimal part, like the point in 3.5. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons on mixtures pupils meet separators that use sieves, magnets or spinning; in maths and computing a separator is the mark between items in a list or the decimal point. In everyday life plastic separators sit between biscuits in a packet, eggs in a tray or files in a folder. Phrases: «a decimal separator», «a thousands separator», «a page separator».

Examples

• Put a cardboard separator between the layers of cups so they don't break. tree →
• A cream separator spins milk very fast so the cream comes out. tree →
• In the list «red, blue, green» the comma is the separator. tree →
• In the UK and USA the decimal separator is a dot, but in France it is a comma. tree →
• The folder has coloured separators for each subject. tree →
• We used a magnet as a separator to pull iron filings out of the sand. tree →
• Type a space as the separator between the numbers. tree →
• The farmer's separator splits the grain from the chaff. tree →

Note

Countable: one separator, two separators. Spelling trap: it is «separ-a-tor» with an «a» in the middle, like «separate» (remember «there is a rat in separate»). In numbers: 1,000 uses a comma as a thousands separator in the UK and USA; 1.5 uses a point as the decimal separator; other countries swap them, so 1.000 may mean one thousand.