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decapitate

[ dih-kap-i-teyt ]
/ dɪˈkæp ɪˌteɪt /
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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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use decapitate in a sentence

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
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