1563, from M.Fr. devester "strip of possessions," from O.Fr. desvestir, from des- "away" + vestir "to clothe." The fig. sense of "strip of possessions" is earliest in Eng.; reflexive sense of "to strip oneself of" is from 1605. Economic sense (implied in divestment) is from 1955.
take away possessions from someone; "The Nazis stripped the Jews of all their assets" [syn: deprive]
2.
deprive of status or authority; "he was divested of his rights and his title"; "They disinvested themselves of their rights" [ant: enthrone]
3.
reduce or dispose of; cease to hold (an investment); "The company decided to divest"; "the board of trustees divested $20 million in real estate property"; "There was pressure on the university to disinvest in South Africa" [ant: commit]
4.
remove (someone's or one's own) clothes; "The nurse quickly undressed the accident victim"; "She divested herself of her outdoor clothes"; "He disinvested himself of his garments" [syn: strip]
De*vest"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Devested; p. pr. & vb. n. Devesting.] [L. devestire to undress; de + vestire to dress: cf. OF. devestir, F. d['e]v[^e]tir. Cf. Divest.]1. To divest; to undress. --Shak. 2. To take away, as an authority, title, etc., to deprive; to alienate, as an estate. Note: This word is now generally written divest, except in the legal sense.
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Audio Help [di-vest, dahy-] Pronunciation Key 
