emasculate

[verb ih-mas-kyuh-leyt; adjective ih-mas-kyuh-lit, -leyt]

See more synonyms for emasculate on Thesaurus.com

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.

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. 2018

Examples from the Web for emasculation

Historical Examples

They are lost or never gained by the males after emasculation.
Little Masterpieces of Science:
Various
They talk of the emasculation of the staff as a future danger.
Home Life in Germany
Mrs. Alfred Sidgwick
Emasculation was a necessary first condition of service in her worship.
The Satyricon, Complete
Petronius Arbiter
The time required after covering depends, of course, on the age of the bud when emasculation takes place.
Manual of American Grape-Growing
U. P. Hedrick
The first task in crossing grapes is to remove the anthers before the flower opens, a process known as emasculation.
Manual of American Grape-Growing
U. P. Hedrick

British Dictionary definitions for emasculation

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

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 emasculation

n.

1620s, agent noun from emasculate.

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.

emasculation in Medicine

emasculation

(ĭ-măs′kyə-lā′shən)

The surgical removal of the testes and penis; castration.

emasculate

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Examples from the Web for emasculation

Historical Examples

They are lost or never gained by the males after emasculation.

They talk of the emasculation of the staff as a future danger.

Emasculation was a necessary first condition of service in her worship.

The time required after covering depends, of course, on the age of the bud when emasculation takes place.

The first task in crossing grapes is to remove the anthers before the flower opens, a process known as emasculation.

emasculate

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for emasculation

n.

emasculate

v.

emasculation

Origin of emasculate