mu ‧ ti ‧ late /ˈmjuːtəleɪt, ˈmjuːtɪleɪt/ BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: past participle of mutilare , from mutilus 'mutilated' ]
1 . to severely and violently damage someone’s body, especially by cutting or removing part of it:
The prisoners had been tortured and mutilated.
extra protection for mental patients who might mutilate themselves
2 . to damage or change something so much that it is completely spoiled:
The sculpture was badly mutilated in the late eighteenth century.
—mutilation /ˌmjuːtəˈleɪʃ ə n, ˌmjuːtɪˈleɪʃ ə n/ noun [uncountable and countable]