amputate

/ˌæmpjəˈteɪt/

/ˈæmpjuteɪt/

Other forms: amputated; amputating; amputates

Use the verb amputate when you need to describe the surgical removal of a limb, such as an arm or a leg. For example, a doctor might amputate an accident victim's badly crushed arm.

No doubt you hope you'll never have to tell someone that you have to amputate, but if you do make sure you pronounce the word correctly, with the accent on the first syllable: "AM-pyo-tate." Amputate comes from the Latin word amputat-, meaning "lopped off." It can describe the removal of limbs or digits from both humans and animals.

Definitions of amputate

1. verb

   remove surgically
   “amputate limbs”

   synonyms: cut off

   types:

   slough off

   separate from surrounding living tissue, as in an abortion

   type of:

   remove, take, take away, withdraw

   remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract