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dismember

 - 5 dictionary results

dis⋅mem⋅ber

  [dis-mem-ber]
Use dismember in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to deprive of limbs; divide limb from limb: The ogre dismembered his victims before he ate them.
2. to divide into parts; cut to pieces; mutilate.
3. 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:
1250–1300; ME dismembren < AF, OF desmembrer, equiv. to des- dis- 1 + -membrer, v. deriv. of membre member

Related forms:
dis⋅mem⋅ber⋅er, noun
dis⋅mem⋅ber⋅ment, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To dismember
dis·mem·ber   (dĭs-měm'bər)   
tr.v.   dis·mem·bered, dis·mem·ber·ing, dis·mem·bers

  1. To cut, tear, or pull off the limbs of.

  2. To divide into pieces.


[Middle English dismembren, from Old French desmembrer, from Vulgar Latin *dismembrāre : Latin dis-, dis- + Latin membrum, limb; see member.]
dis·mem'ber·ment n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

dismember 
1297, from O.Fr. desmembrer, from M.L. dismembrare, from L. de- "take away" + membrum "limb" (see member).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: dis·mem·ber
Pronunciation: (')dis-'mem-b&r
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: dis·mem·bered;dis·mem·ber·ing /-b(&-)ri[ng]/
: to cut off or disjoin the limbs, members, or parts of —dis·mem·ber·ment /-b&r-m&nt/ noun
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

dismember dis·mem·ber (dĭs-měm'bər)
v. dis·mem·bered, dis·mem·ber·ing, dis·mem·bers
To amputate a limb or a part of a limb.

dis·mem'ber·ment n.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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