dismember

[dis-mem-ber]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dismember ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to deprive of limbs; divide limb from limb: The ogre dismembered his victims before he ate them.

to divide into parts; cut to pieces; mutilate.

to reduce, reorganize, or discontinue the services or parts of (a company, government agency, etc.): Our business was dismembered by the conglomerate that bought it.

Origin of dismember

1250–1300; Middle English dismembren < Anglo-French, Old French desmembrer, equivalent to des- dis-¹ + -membrer, verbal derivative of membre member

Related formsdis·mem·ber·er, noundis·mem·ber·ment, nounnon·dis·mem·ber·ment, noun

Can be confuseddisembodied disemboweled dismembered

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

Related Words for dismember

dismantle, cripple, sunder, maim, mutilate, sever, anatomize, divide, disassemble, dissect, dismount, part, amputate, disjoint, dislocate, rend

Examples from the Web for dismember

Contemporary Examples of dismember

He told reporters how his assailants had recognized him, set upon him with knives and tried to dismember his wrists.
Egypt’s Military Holiday Marred By Deaths
Alastair Beach
October 7, 2013
The headlines were gruesome: after shooting and killing him, she had used a chain saw to dismember his body.
My First Autopsy Report: Excerpt From David Berg’s ‘Run, Brother, Run’`
David Berg
June 10, 2013
It is easy to get a handle on it if you dismember your victim.
Human Head, Hands Found Near Hollywood Sign
Christine Pelisek
January 19, 2012

Historical Examples of dismember

Kiddie helped him only so far as to skin and dismember the rabbit and peel the onions.
Kiddie the Scout
Robert Leighton
After all, why dismember his library for the sake of saving a few shillings on carriage?
The Whirlpool
George Gissing
Too large to pass through the door, so they tried to dismember it.
Animal Intelligence
George J. Romanes
John Henry's plot to dismember the Union disclosed to congress.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology
Joel Munsell
We have no desire whatever to dismember the territory of the empire.
Thirty Years' View (Vol. II of 2)
Thomas Hart Benton

British Dictionary definitions for dismember

dismember

verb (tr)

to remove the limbs or members of

to cut to pieces

to divide or partition (something, such as an empire)

Derived Formsdismemberer, noundismemberment, noun

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

Word Origin and History for dismember

c.1300, from Old French desmembrer (11c.), from Medieval Latin dismembrare "tear limb from limb; castrate," from Latin de- "take away" + membrum "limb" (see member). Related: Dismembered; dismembering.

dismember in Medicine

dismember

[dĭs-mĕm′bər]

v.

To amputate a limb or a part of a limb.

Related formsdis•mem′ber•ment n.