circumcise

[sur-kuh m-sahyz]

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.

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)

Related formscir·cum·cis·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for circumcise

Contemporary Examples of circumcise

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
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
Saint Paul said that we ought rather to circumcise the heart.
Skin In The Game
Bernard Avishai
July 16, 2012
Most Americans circumcise their sons for perceived health reasons.
San Francisco's Circumcision Ban
Adam Winkler
May 23, 2011

Historical Examples of circumcise

God was angry with Moses for delaying, if not neglecting, to circumcise his child.
Bertha and Her Baptism
Nehemiah Adams
It may be asked why all this care and trouble, and not circumcise at once?
History of Circumcision from the Earliest Times to the Present
Peter Charles Remondino
It is a singular commencement of his mission, to circumcise the son of a Greek father after he had become a Christian.
Supernatural Religion, Vol. III. (of III)
Walter Richard Cassels
They circumcise the Males at 11 or 12 Years of Age, or older; and many are circumcised at once.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898--Volume 39 of 55
Various
To conclude, Paul refused to circumcise Titus for the reason that the false apostles wanted to compel him to circumcise Titus.
Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians
Martin Luther

British Dictionary definitions for circumcise

circumcise

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 Formscircumciser, 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

Word Origin and History for circumcise

mid-13c., "to cut off the foreskin," from Old French circoncisier "circumcise" (12c., Modern French circoncire), from Latin circumcisus, past participle of circumcidere "to cut round, to cut trim, to cut off" (see circumcision). Related: Circumcised; circumcising.

Medicine definitions for circumcise

circumcise

[sûr′kəm-sīz′]

v.

To perform a circumcision.