amputee
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of amputee
1905–10; amputat(ed) ( def. ) + -ee, modeled on French amputé, past participle of amputer to amputate
Explanation
A person who's had an arm or a leg surgically removed is an amputee. Some amputees get artificial limbs that allow them to be nearly as mobile as before the loss of a limb. Some amputees lose a limb in an accident, while others have surgery to stop a disease, like gangrene, from spreading from an arm or leg to the rest of the body. The surgery to remove a limb is called an amputation, and it's also the word amputee comes from. An amputation was originally "a cutting off of tree branches," from the Latin amputare, "cut off, cut around, or prune."
Vocabulary lists containing amputee
A Thousand Splendid Suns
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Salt to the Sea
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The Running Dream
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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.
An amputee travelling across the UK using his bus pass says he is determined to complete a charity challenge, after his home was broken into mid-route.
From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026
The complex is now also home to a water therapy space for amputee soldiers.
From Barron's • Dec. 17, 2025
When accused UnitedHealthcare shooter Luigi Mangione arrives at a Manhattan courthouse for hearings this week, a digital billboard featuring amputee Michael Kissling will be mounted on a truck driving around outside.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 30, 2025
In another he wrote: "It's going to be awesome being a double amputee."
From BBC • Sep. 5, 2025
The amputee said he would answer only on strict condition that this was indeed the last question.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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.
