emasculate

[ verb ih-mas-kyuh-leyt; adjective ih-mas-kyuh-lit, -leyt ]
See synonyms for emasculate on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object),e·mas·cu·lat·ed, e·mas·cu·lat·ing.
  1. to deprive of strength or vigor; weaken.

adjective
  1. deprived of or lacking strength or vigor; effeminate.

Origin of emasculate

1
First recorded in 1600–10; from Latin ēmasculātus (past participle of ēmasculāre ), equivalent to ē- “from”+ māscul(us) “male” + -ātus adjective suffix; see origin at e-1, male, -ate1

Other words for emasculate

Other words from emasculate

  • e·mas·cu·la·tion, noun
  • e·mas·cu·la·tive, adjective
  • e·mas·cu·la·tor, noun
  • e·mas·cu·la·to·ry [ih-mas-kyuh-luh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee], /ɪˈmæs kyə ləˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i/, adjective
  • self-e·mas·cu·la·tion, noun
  • un·e·mas·cu·lat·ed, adjective
  • un·e·mas·cu·la·tive, adjective
  • un·e·mas·cu·la·to·ry, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use emasculate in a sentence

  • They would have resisted at all costs national emasculation such as the said wrongs imply.

    Freedom's Battle | Mahatma Gandhi

British Dictionary definitions for emasculate

emasculate

verb(ɪˈmæskjʊˌleɪt) (tr)
  1. to remove the testicles of; castrate; geld

  2. to deprive of vigour, effectiveness, etc

  1. botany to remove the stamens from (a flower) to prevent self-pollination for the purposes of plant breeding

adjective(ɪˈmæskjʊlɪt, -ˌleɪt)
  1. castrated; gelded

  2. deprived of strength, effectiveness, etc

Origin of emasculate

1
C17: from Latin ēmasculāre, from masculus male; see masculine

Derived forms of emasculate

  • emasculation, noun
  • emasculative or emasculatory, adjective
  • emasculator, 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