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decapitate

[ dih-kap-i-teyt ]
/ dɪˈkæp ɪˌteɪt /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR decapitate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), de·cap·i·tat·ed, de·cap·i·tat·ing.

to cut off the head of; behead: Many people were decapitated during the French Revolution.

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Origin of decapitate

1605–15; <Late Latin dēcapitātus, past participle of dēcapitāre, equivalent to dē-de- + capit- (stem of caput) head + -ātus-ate1

OTHER WORDS FROM decapitate

de·cap·i·ta·tion, nounde·cap·i·ta·tor, noun

Words nearby decapitate

decanormal, decant, decanter, decapacitation, decapitalize, decapitate, decapitation, decapod, Decapolis, decapsulate, decapsulation
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to decapitate

guillotine, ax, execute, decollate

Example sentences from the Web for decapitate

British Dictionary definitions for decapitate

decapitate
/ (dɪˈkæpɪˌteɪt) /

verb

(tr) to behead

Derived forms of decapitate

decapitation, noundecapitator, noun

Word Origin for decapitate

C17: from Late Latin dēcapitāre, from Latin de- + caput head
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