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.
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to prune, lop off, or remove.
Because of space limitations the editor amputated the last two paragraphs of the news report.
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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.
One monk was struck by a vehicle in a November traffic accident, and his leg had to be amputated.
From Barron's
"The Rafah crossing is a lifeline," said Mohammed Nassir, a Palestinian who had his leg amputated after being injured early in the war.
From Barron's
The 85-pound turtle earned her nickname from aquarium staffers when she quickly began eating after having her flipper amputated, and her enthusiasm for grub hasn’t waned.
From Los Angeles Times
The decision was then taken to amputate below his right knee, a procedure which took place on 2 June.
From BBC
“Funny how something can hurt that’s no longer there,” remarks a child named Alma, referring to agonies associated with an amputated leg in the intense German drama “Sound of Falling.”
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.
