What does "several" mean?

Several: Diverse; different; various. Spenser. Habits and faculties, several, and to be distinguished. Bacon. Four several armies to the field are led. Dryden.

Additional senses

2.Consisting of a number more than two, but not very many; divers; sundry; as, several persons were present when the event took place.
3.By itself; severally. [Obs.] Every kind of thing is laid up several in barns or storehoudses. Robynson (More's Utopia).
4.Each particular taken singly; an item; a detail; an individual. [Obs.] There was not time enough to hear . . . The severals. Shak.
5.Persons oe objects, more than two, but not very many. Several of them neither rose from any conspicuous family, nor left any behind them. Addison.
6.An inclosed or separate place; inclosure. [Obs.] They had their several for heathen nations, their several for the people of their own nation. Hooker. In several, in a state of separation. [R.] "Where pastures in several be." Tusser.

Sources

Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
Canonical URL: https://worddirectanswers.com/answers/what-does-several-mean
Steward: Jason Burns
Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00