MUTILATE


Meaning of MUTILATE in English

/ ˈmjuːtɪleɪt; NAmE / verb [ vn ]

1.

to damage sb's body very severely, especially by cutting or tearing off part of it :

The body had been badly mutilated.

2.

to damage sth very badly

SYN vandalize :

Intruders slashed and mutilated several paintings.

►  mu·ti·la·tion / ˌmjuːtɪˈleɪʃn; NAmE / noun [ U , C ]:

Thousands suffered death or mutilation in the bomb blast.

••

WORD ORIGIN

early 16th cent.: from Latin mutilat- maimed, mutilated, lopped off, from the verb mutilare , from mutilus maimed.

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.