Dictionary.com

decerebrate

[ verb dee-ser-uh-breyt; noun dee-ser-uh-breyt, -brit ]
/ verb diˈsɛr əˌbreɪt; noun diˈsɛr əˌbreɪt, -brɪt /
Save This Word!

verb (used with object), de·cer·e·brat·ed, de·cer·e·brat·ing.
Surgery. to remove the cerebrum.
noun
a decerebrated animal.
a person who, because of brain injury, exhibits behavior characteristic of a decerebrated animal.
QUIZ
WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?
Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!
Question 1 of 7
Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

Origin of decerebrate

First recorded in 1895–1900; de- + cerebr- + -ate1

OTHER WORDS FROM decerebrate

de·cer·e·bra·tion, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use decerebrate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for decerebrate

decerebrate

verb (diːˈsɛrɪˌbreɪt)
(tr) to remove the brain or a large section of the brain or to cut the spinal cord at the level of the brain stem of (a person or animal)
noun (diːˈsɛrɪbrɪt)
a decerebrated individual

Derived forms of decerebrate

decerebration, noun

Word Origin for decerebrate

C19: from de- + cerebro- + -ate 1
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
FEEDBACK