castrate

American  

[kas-treyt] / ˈkæs treɪt /

verb (used with object)

castrated, castrating

1. to remove the testes of; emasculate; geld.

2. to remove the ovaries of.

3. Psychology. to render impotent, literally or metaphorically, by psychological means, especially by threatening a person's masculinity or femininity.

4. to deprive of strength, power, or efficiency; weaken.

   Without those ten new submarines, our navy will be castrated.

---

noun

1. a castrated person or animal.

castrate British  

/ kæˈstreɪt /

verb

1. to remove the testicles of; emasculate; geld

2. to deprive of vigour, masculinity, etc

3. to remove the ovaries of; spay

4. to expurgate or censor (a book, play, etc)

---

Other Word Forms

• castration noun
• castrator noun

Etymology

Origin of castrate

First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin castrātus, past participle of castrāre “to geld,” equivalent to castr- “geld” + -ātus past participle suffix; -ate ¹

Example Sentences

So Cumberbatch spent considerable time in Montana learning cowboy skills — riding, braiding rope, rolling cigarettes, even how to castrate a bull.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 1, 2021

In 2013, he broke the ring finger on his glove hand while helping a neighbor castrate a calf.

From New York Times • Oct. 1, 2021

The anxiety of influence can trigger hysterical pastiche or castrate an author’s creativity.

From Washington Post • Dec. 28, 2020

But alongside these essential legal updates, Thorne has revealed a way to castrate it, to remove its power.

From The Guardian • Jul. 7, 2019

What would a society of eunuchs achieve?—But of course they are not eunuchs, in somer, but rather more comparable to preadolescents: not castrate, but latent.

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin

Related Words

• mutilate
• neuter
• spay
• sterilize