amputate

[ am-pyoo-teyt ]
/ ˈæm pyʊˌteɪt /

verb (used with object), am·pu·tat·ed, am·pu·tat·ing.

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.

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Origin of amputate

1630–40; < Latin amputātus pruned, trimmed (past participle of amputāre), equivalent to am(bi) around (cf. ambi-) + put- trim + -ātus -ate1

OTHER WORDS FROM amputate

Words nearby amputate

ampullaceous, ampullar pregnancy, ampullary crest, ampullitis, ampullula, amputate, amputation, amputation in continuity, amputation neuroma, amputee, ampycus
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for amputation

British Dictionary definitions for amputation

amputate
/ (ˈæmpjʊˌteɪt) /

verb

surgery to remove (all or part of a limb, esp an arm or leg)

Derived forms of amputate

amputation, 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

Medical definitions for amputation (1 of 2)

amputation
[ ăm′pyu-tā′shən ]

n.

Surgical removal of all or part of a limb, an organ, or projecting part or process of the body.
Traumatic or spontaneous loss of a limb, organ, or part.

Medical definitions for amputation (2 of 2)

amputate
[ ăm′pyu-tāt′ ]

v.

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.