emasculate

  • 1emasculate — e*mas cu*late, a. Deprived of virility or vigor; unmanned; weak. Emasculate slave. Hammond. [1913 Webster] …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 2emasculate — emas·cu·late /i mas kyə ˌlāt/ vt lat·ed, lat·ing: to deprive (as a law or judicial opinion) of force or effectiveness Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam Webster. 1996. emasculate …

    Law dictionary

  • 3Emasculate — E*mas cu*late, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Emasculated}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Emasculating}.] [L. emasculare; e + masculus male, masculine. See {Male} masculine.] 1. To deprive of virile or procreative power; to castrate power; to castrate; to geld. [1913… …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 4emasculate — (v.) c.1600, from L. emasculatus, pp. of emasculare castrate, from ex out, away (see EX (Cf. ex )) + masculus male, manly (see MASCULINE (Cf. masculine)). Originally and usually in a figurative sense. Related: Emasculated; emasculating …

    Etymology dictionary

  • 5emasculate — 1 *sterilize, castrate, spay, alter, mutilate, geld, caponize 2 enervate, unman, *unnerve Analogous words: *weaken, enfeeble, debilitate, sap, undermine Contrasted words: energize, *vitalize …

    New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • 6emasculate — [v] weaken, deprive of force alter, debilitate, devitalize, enervate, fix*, impoverish, vitiate; concepts 240,250 Ant. aid, assist, help …

    New thesaurus

  • 7emasculate — ► VERB 1) make weaker or less effective. 2) deprive (a man) of his male role or identity. DERIVATIVES emasculation noun. ORIGIN Latin emasculare castrate …

    English terms dictionary

  • 8emasculate — [ē mas′kyo͞o lāt΄, ē mās′kyəlāt΄; imas′kyo͞o lāt΄; ] for adj [., i mas′kyəlit] vt. emasculated, emasculating [< L emasculatus, pp. of emasculare < e , out + masculus, MASCULINE] 1. to deprive (a male) of the power to reproduce, as by… …

    English World dictionary

  • 9emasculate — UK [ɪˈmæskjʊleɪt] / US [ɪˈmæskjəˌleɪt] verb [transitive] Word forms emasculate : present tense I/you/we/they emasculate he/she/it emasculates present participle emasculating past tense emasculated past participle emasculated formal 1) to reduce… …

    English dictionary

  • 10emasculate — transitive verb ( lated; lating) Etymology: Latin emasculatus, past participle of emasculare, from e + masculus male more at male Date: 1607 1. to deprive of strength, vigor, or spirit ; weaken 2. to deprive of virility or procreative power ;… …

    New Collegiate Dictionary