MUTILATE


Meaning of MUTILATE in English

I. ˈmyüd. ə lˌāt, -üt ə lˌ-, usu -ād.+V adjective

Etymology: Latin mutilatus, past participle

1. : mutilated

2.

a. : having no hind limbs

a mutilate cetacean

b. : abbreviated — used of the elytra of an insect

II. transitive verb

( -ed/-ing/-s )

Etymology: Latin mutilatus, past participle of mutilare, from mutilus mutilated, maimed; akin to Latin muticus docked, Old Irish mut short

1. : to cut off or permanently destroy a limb or essential part of

mutilate a body

mutilate a statue

sometimes : castrate

2. : to cut up or alter radically so as to make imperfect

mutilate a medieval manuscript

Synonyms: see maim

III. noun

( -s )

Etymology: New Latin Mutilata, a former group of mammals comprising the whales and sirenians, from Latin, neuter plural of mutilatus

obsolete : cetacean , sirenian

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.