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emasculate

[verb ih-mas-kyuh-leyt; adjective ih-mas-kyuh-lit, -leyt]
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verb (used with object), e·mas·cu·lat·ed, e·mas·cu·lat·ing.

to castrate.
to deprive of strength or vigor; weaken.

adjective

deprived of or lacking strength or vigor; effeminate.

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Origin of emasculate

1600–10; < Latin ēmasculātus (past participle of ēmasculāre), equivalent to ē- e-1 + māscul(us) male + -ātus -ate1
Related formse·mas·cu·la·tion, noune·mas·cu·la·tive, adjectivee·mas·cu·la·tor, noune·mas·cu·la·to·ry [ih-mas-kyuh-luh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] /ɪˈmæs kyə ləˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i/, adjectiveself-e·mas·cu·la·tion, nounun·e·mas·cu·lat·ed, adjectiveun·e·mas·cu·la·tive, adjectiveun·e·mas·cu·la·to·ry, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

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British Dictionary definitions for emasculate

emasculate

verb (ɪˈmæskjʊˌleɪt) (tr)

to remove the testicles of; castrate; geld
to deprive of vigour, effectiveness, etc
botany to remove the stamens from (a flower) to prevent self-pollination for the purposes of plant breeding

adjective (ɪˈmæskjʊlɪt, -ˌleɪt)

castrated; gelded
deprived of strength, effectiveness, etc
Derived Formsemasculation, nounemasculative or emasculatory, adjectiveemasculator, noun

Word Origin for emasculate

C17: from Latin ēmasculāre, from masculus male; see masculine
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 emasculate
v.

c.1600, from Latin emasculatus, past participle of emasculare "castrate," from ex- "out, away" (see ex-) + masculus "male, manly" (see masculine). Originally and usually in a figurative sense. Related: Emasculated; emasculating.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper