parting

noun

1. (countable, uncountable)The act of parting or dividing; division; separation.
2. (countable, uncountable)The state of being parted.

   “The parting of the way.”

   “Bridge End is the border station and the scene of many a sad parting between enterprising shoppers and their purchases—for it is a stronghold of the Customs !—and half an hour is allowed in the timetable for examination and shunting.”

3. (countable, uncountable)A farewell, the act of departing politely.

   “And there were sudden partings,such as press / The life from out young hearts.”

   “But she hugged the soft, stuffed body of the Scarecrow in her arms instead of kissing his painted face, and found she was crying herself at this sorrowful parting from her loving comrades.”

4. (British, countable, uncountable)The dividing line formed by combing the hair in different directions.

   “Margaret Thatcher’s 80s power suits were scrutinised; David Cameron’s switching of his parting was national news (Cameron later nominated his barber for an MBE); and eyebrows were raised at Theresa May’s favourite and incongruous Frida Kahlo bracelet.”

5. (countable, uncountable)The surface of the sand of one section of a mould where it meets that of another section.
6. (countable, uncountable)The separation and determination of alloys; especially, the separation, as by acids, of gold from silver in the assay button.
7. (countable, uncountable)A joint or fissure, as in a coal seam.
8. (countable, uncountable)The breaking, as of a cable, by violence.
9. (countable, uncountable)Lamellar separation in a crystallized mineral, due to some other cause than cleavage, as to the presence of twinning lamellae.

verb

1. (form-of, gerund, participle, present)present participle and gerund of part

   “Prosser's parting words sum up his views on what the ORR [Office of Rail and Road] really means to the industry,. For him, ORR is not simply a regulator, and HMRI's [His/Her Majesty's Railway Inspectorate's] purpose is not just about safety...”