lacerate
[ verb las-uh-reyt; adjective las-uh-reyt, -er-it ]
verb (used with object),lac·er·at·ed, lac·er·at·ing.
to tear roughly; mangle: The barbed wire lacerated his hands.
to distress or torture mentally or emotionally; wound deeply; pain greatly: His bitter criticism lacerated my heart.
adjective
Origin of lacerate
11535–45; from Latin lacerātus, past participle of lacerāre “to tear up” (derivative of lacer “mangled”); see -ate1
synonym study For lacerate
1. See maim.
Other words for lacerate
Other words from lacerate
- lac·er·a·ble, adjective
- lac·er·a·bil·i·ty [las-er-uh-bil-i-tee], /ˌlæs ər əˈbɪl ɪ ti/, noun
- lac·er·a·tive [las-uh-rey-tiv, -er-uh-tiv], /ˈlæs əˌreɪ tɪv, -ər ə tɪv/, adjective
- self-lac·er·at·ing, adjective
- un·lac·er·at·ing, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for lacerate
lacerate
verb(ˈlæsəˌreɪt) (tr)
to tear (the flesh, etc) jaggedly
to hurt or harrow (the feelings, etc)
adjective(ˈlæsəˌreɪt, -rɪt)
having edges that are jagged or torn; lacerated: lacerate leaves
Origin of lacerate
1C16: from Latin lacerāre to tear, from lacer mangled
Derived forms of lacerate
- lacerable, adjective
- lacerability, noun
- laceration, noun
- lacerative, adjective
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
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