circumcise

[ sur-kuhm-sahyz ]

/ ˈsɜr kəmˌsaɪz /

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verb (used with object), cir·cum·cised, cir·cum·cis·ing.

to remove the prepuce of (a male), especially as a religious rite.

to remove the clitoris, prepuce, or labia of (a female).

to purify spiritually.

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Origin of circumcise

1200–50; Middle English circumcisen<Latin circumcīsus (past participle of circumcīdere to cut around), equivalent to circum-circum- + -cīsus (-cīd- cut + -tus past participle suffix; see -cide)

OTHER WORDS FROM circumcise

cir·cum·cis·er, noun

Words nearby circumcise

circumambulate, circumbasal, circumbendibus, circumcenter, circumcircle, circumcise, circumcision, circumcolumnar, circumference, circumferential, circumferentor

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use circumcise in a sentence

Jews circumcise their infant boys on the eighth day of life; Muslims generally do so before age 10.
Do Circumcision Bans Protect Kids’ Rights, Or Infringe Upon Parents’?|Michael Schulson|February 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To those who circumcise for religious purposes, the criminalization of the ritual is nothing more than religious discrimination.
Europe Goes After Circumcision|Barbie Latza Nadeau|August 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Saint Paul said that we ought rather to circumcise the heart.
Skin In The Game|Bernard Avishai|July 16, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Most Americans circumcise their sons for perceived health reasons.
San Francisco's Circumcision Ban|Adam Winkler|May 23, 2011|DAILY BEAST

But, till then, I cannot truckle to tithe-mongers,—nor can I imagine what has made you circumcise your Seraphs.
Life of Lord Byron, Vol. 6 (of 6)|Thomas Moore
Moses hath given you circumcision (not that it is of Moses, but of the fathers); and on the sabbath ye circumcise a man.
His Life|William E. Barton, Theodore G. Soares, Sydney Strong
They pray in mosques, and circumcise their boys, and yet some of them observe the Hindu festivals.
Castes and Tribes of Southern India|Edgar Thurston
Infant deformation is not practised in any form by the Mafulu people; nor do they circumcise their children.
The Mafulu|Robert W. Williamson
In disregard of the monks, the Indians secretly circumcise their children.
A Visit to the Philippine Islands|John Bowring

British Dictionary definitions for circumcise

circumcise

/ (ˈsɜːkəmˌsaɪz) /

verb (tr)

to remove the foreskin of (a male)

to incise surgically the skin over the clitoris of (a female)

to remove the clitoris of (a female)

to perform the religious rite of circumcision on (someone)

Derived forms of circumcise

circumciser, noun

Word Origin for circumcise

C13: from Latin circumcīdere, from circum- + caedere to cut

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