mutilate
[ myoot-l-eyt ]
verb (used with object),mu·ti·lat·ed, mu·ti·lat·ing.
to injure, disfigure, or make imperfect by removing or irreparably damaging parts: Vandals mutilated the painting.
to deprive (a person or animal) of a limb or other essential part.
Origin of mutilate
11525–35; from Latin mutilātus (past participle of mutilāre “to cut off, maim”), equivalent to mutil(us) “maimed, mutilated” + -ātus-ate1
synonym study For mutilate
2. See maim.
Other words for mutilate
Other words from mutilate
- mu·ti·la·tion, noun
- mu·ti·la·tive, mu·ti·la·to·ry [myoot-l-uh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee], /ˈmyut l əˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i/, adjective
- mu·ti·la·tor, noun
- self-mu·ti·lat·ing, adjective
- self-mu·ti·la·tion, noun
- un·mu·ti·lat·ed, adjective
- un·mu·ti·la·tive, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for mutilate
mutilate
/ (ˈmjuːtɪˌleɪt) /
verb(tr)
to deprive of a limb, essential part, etc; maim; dismember
to mar, expurgate, or damage (a text, book, etc)
Origin of mutilate
1C16: from Latin mutilāre to cut off; related to mutilus maimed
Derived forms of mutilate
- mutilation, noun
- mutilative, adjective
- mutilator, noun
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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