godan verb (-su)
Archaic or highly specialized term for cutting off a head, typically in a historical or martial context. Not used in modern everyday language.
武士は敵の首を上げ離した。
The samurai cut off the enemy's head.
Standard kanji spelling for this compound verb.
Variant spelling using okurigana for the first element; less common than 上げ離す.
Compound of 上げる (to raise) and 離す (to separate), literally 'raise and separate', referring to the action of lifting the head and cutting it off. The exact historical derivation is uncertain.