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castrate

[kas-treyt]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR castrate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), cas·trat·ed, cas·trat·ing.

to remove the testes of; emasculate; geld.
to remove the ovaries of.
Psychology. to render impotent, literally or metaphorically, by psychological means, especially by threatening a person's masculinity or femininity.
to deprive of strength, power, or efficiency; weaken: Without those ten new submarines, our navy will be castrated.

noun

a castrated person or animal.

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RELATED WORDS

emasculate, altered, fixed, unmanned, effeminate, impotent

Nearby words

  1. castor bean,
  2. castor oil,
  3. castor sugar,
  4. castor-oil plant,
  5. castoreum,
  6. castrati,
  7. castration,
  8. castration complex,
  9. castrato,
  10. castries

Origin of castrate

1605–15; < Latin castrātus past participle of castrāre to geld, equivalent to castr- geld + -ātus -ate1
Related formscas·tra·tion, nouncas·tra·tor, nounun·cas·trat·ed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for castrated

British Dictionary definitions for castrated

castrate

verb (tr)

to remove the testicles of; emasculate; geld
to deprive of vigour, masculinity, etc
to remove the ovaries of; spay
to expurgate or censor (a book, play, etc)
Derived Formscastration, nouncastrator, noun

Word Origin for castrate

C17: from Latin castrāre to emasculate, geld
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 castrated

castrate

v.

1610s (implied in castrated), back-formation from castration (q.v.), or from Latin castratus, past participle of castrare. The figurative sense is attested earlier (1550s). Related: Castrating.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for castrated

castrate

[kăs′trāt′]

v.

To remove the testicles of a male; emasculate.
To remove the ovaries of a female; spay.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.