amputate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to cut off (all or part of a limb or digit of the body), as by surgery.
-
to prune, lop off, or remove.
Because of space limitations the editor amputated the last two paragraphs of the news report.
-
Obsolete. to prune, as branches of trees.
verb
Other Word Forms
- amputation noun
- amputative adjective
- amputator noun
- nonamputation noun
- postamputation adjective
- self-amputation noun
- unamputated adjective
- unamputative adjective
Etymology
Origin of amputate
1630–40; < Latin amputātus pruned, trimmed (past participle of amputāre ), equivalent to am ( bi ) around ( ambi- ) + put- trim + -ātus -ate 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Now, because of the severity of his injuries, Sparky must have a leg amputated.
From Los Angeles Times
One man, his arm amputated from the elbow, has his wife sitting with him, smiling and trying to encourage him.
From BBC
Thomas Markle, who has reportedly had his left lower leg amputated, told the Mail on Sunday he does not want to die while distanced from his daughter.
From BBC
Recently, he had his own health crisis, having his right leg amputated after complications with diabetes.
From Los Angeles Times
A diabetic man who had his leg amputated expressed deep grief over the loss and shame at “becoming a burden,” feeling dependent on his mother and sister.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
