decerebrate

[verb dee-ser-uh-breyt; noun dee-ser-uh-breyt, -brit]

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.

Nearby words

Origin of decerebrate

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

Related formsde·cer·e·bra·tion, noun

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

British Dictionary definitions for decerebration

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 Formsdecerebration, 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

Medicine definitions for decerebration

decerebration

[dē-sĕr′ə-brā′shən]

n.

The elimination of cerebral function in an animal by removing the cerebrum, cutting across the brainstem, or severing certain arteries in the brainstem, as may be done for experimentation.

decerebrate

[dē-sĕr′ə-brāt′, -brĭt]

adj.

Of, relating to, or characteristic of an individual who has suffered a brain injury that results in neurological function comparable to that resulting from decerebration of an animal.

v.

To eliminate cerebral brain function in an animal by decerebration.