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amputate

[am-pyoo-teyt]
See more synonyms for amputate on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object), am·pu·tat·ed, am·pu·tat·ing.
  1. to cut off (all or part of a limb or digit of the body), as by surgery.
  2. to prune, lop off, or remove: Because of space limitations the editor amputated the last two paragraphs of the news report.
  3. Obsolete. to prune, as branches of trees.

Origin of amputate

1630–40; < Latin amputātus pruned, trimmed (past participle of amputāre), equivalent to am(bi) around (cf. ambi-) + put- trim + -ātus -ate1
Related formsam·pu·ta·tion, nounam·pu·ta·tive, adjectiveam·pu·ta·tor, nounnon·am·pu·ta·tion, nounpost·am·pu·ta·tion, adjectiveself-am·pu·ta·tion, nounun·am·pu·tat·ed, adjectiveun·am·pu·ta·tive, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for amputate

sever, excise, truncate, separate, lop, eliminate, dismember

Examples from the Web for amputate

Historical Examples of amputate

British Dictionary definitions for amputate

amputate

verb
  1. surgery to remove (all or part of a limb, esp an arm or leg)
Derived Formsamputation, nounamputator, noun

Word Origin for amputate

C17: from Latin amputāre, from am- around + putāre to trim, prune
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for amputate
v.

1630s, back-formation from amputation or else from Latin amputatus, past participle of amputare "to cut off, to prune." Related: Amputated; amputating.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
amputate in Medicine

amputate

[ăm′pyu-tāt′]
v.
  1. To cut off a part of the body, especially by surgery.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.