circumcise

cir·cum·cise

[sur-kuhm-sahyz]
verb (used with object), cir·cum·cised, cir·cum·cis·ing.
1.
to remove the prepuce of (a male), especially as a religious rite.
2.
to remove the clitoris, prepuce, or labia of (a female).
3.
to purify spiritually.

Origin:
1200–50; Middle English circumcisen < Latin circumcīsus (past participle of circumcīdere to cut around), equivalent to circum- circum- + -cīsus (-cīd- cut + -tus past participle suffix; see -cide)

cir·cum·cis·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To circumcise
00:10
Circumcise is always a great word to know.
So is lollapalooza. Does it mean:
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
Collins
World English Dictionary
circumcise (ˈsɜːkəmˌsaɪz) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
vb
1.  to remove the foreskin of (a male)
2.  to incise surgically the skin over the clitoris of (a female)
3.  to remove the clitoris of (a female)
4.  to perform the religious rite of circumcision on (someone)
 
[C13: from Latin circumcīdere, from circum- + caedere to cut]
 
'circumciser
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

circumcise
mid-13c., in Scriptural sense, from O.Fr. circoncisier, from L. circumcidere "to cut round, to cut trim, to cut off" (see circumcision). Related: Circumcised (1560s).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

circumcise cir·cum·cise (sûr'kəm-sīz')
v. cir·cum·cised, cir·cum·cis·ing, cir·cum·cis·es
To perform a circumcision.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature