castrate

[ kas-treyt ]

/ ˈkæs treɪt /

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.

Nearby words

castor bean, castor oil, castor sugar, castor-oil plant, castoreum, castrate, castration, castration complex, castrato, castries, castro

Origin of castrate

1605–15; < Latin castrātus past participle of castrāre to geld, equivalent to castr- geld + -ātus -ate¹

Related forms

cas·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

In one sickening final detail, Joe Christmas is castrated even before he is dead, his blood soaking his attackers.
C.E. Morgan: ‘Light in August’ is Faulkner’s Great American Novel|C.E. Morgan|August 16, 2012|DAILY BEAST
How would she feel if Bizanowicz got a shorter term in return for agreeing to be castrated?
The Case for Castration|Tim Murphy|March 26, 2009|DAILY BEAST
With the fear of Elizabeth before his eyes, Holinshed castrated the volumes of his History.
Curiosities of Literature, Vol. II (of 3)|Isaac Disraeli
Such as are castrated and allowed to run wild, become considerably larger, as well as tamer, in consequence.
Lachesis Lapponica|Carl von Linn

He was now in Asia Minor, where he had taken Amisus and had castrated all the male children.
Plutarch's Lives Volume III.|Plutarch
How comes it that the editions since 1740 have been so castrated ?
Notes and Queries, Number 52, October 26, 1850|Various
It is in this spirit, and with such apologies, that historians have often castrated their own history.
Amenities of Literature|Isaac Disraeli

British Dictionary definitions for castrated

castrate

/ (kæˈstreɪt) /

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 Forms

castration, 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

Medicine definitions for castrated

castrate

[ kăs′trāt′ ]

v.

To remove the testicles of a male; emasculate.

To remove the ovaries of a female; spay.