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castrate

[kas-treyt]
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verb (used with object), cas·trat·ed, cas·trat·ing.
  1. to remove the testes of; emasculate; geld.
  2. to remove the ovaries of.
  3. Psychology. to render impotent, literally or metaphorically, by psychological means, especially by threatening a person's masculinity or femininity.
  4. to deprive of strength, power, or efficiency; weaken: Without those ten new submarines, our navy will be castrated.
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noun
  1. a castrated person or animal.
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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. 2018

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British Dictionary definitions for castration

castrate

verb (tr)
  1. to remove the testicles of; emasculate; geld
  2. to deprive of vigour, masculinity, etc
  3. to remove the ovaries of; spay
  4. to expurgate or censor (a book, play, etc)
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Derived Formscastration, nouncastrator, noun

Word Origin

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 castration

n.

early 15c., castracioun, from Latin castrationem (nominative castratio), noun of action from past participle stem of castrare "to castrate, emasculate," supposedly from a noun *castrum "knife, instrument that cuts," from PIE root *kes- "to cut" (see caste). Freud's castration complex is attested from 1914 in English (translating German Kastrationsangst).

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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.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
castration in Medicine

castration

(kă-strā′shən)
n.
  1. Removal of the testicles or ovaries; sterilization.
  2. A psychological disorder that is manifested in the female as the fantasized loss of the penis or in the male as fear of its actual loss.
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castrate

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