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decerebrate

American  
[dee-ser-uh-breyt, dee-ser-uh-breyt, -brit] / diˈsɛr əˌbreɪt, diˈsɛr əˌbreɪt, -brɪt /

verb (used with object)

decerebrated, decerebrating

  1. Surgery. to remove the cerebrum.

noun

  1. a decerebrated animal.

  2. a person who, because of brain injury, exhibits behavior characteristic of a decerebrated animal.

decerebrate British  

verb

  1. (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)

"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

noun

  1. a decerebrated individual

"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

Other Word Forms

  • decerebration noun

Etymology

Origin of decerebrate

First recorded in 1895–1900; de- + cerebr- + -ate 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I mention not the levels at all, nor do I speak of "decerebrate metaphysics."

From The Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Volume 10 by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.