Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

castrate

/ˈkæs.tɹeɪt/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 2.33 in modern English

Syllables: cas-trate
IPA: /ˈkæs.tɹeɪt/

10

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A castrated man; a eunuch.

verb

To remove the testicles of a person or animal.

Transitive verb

verb

To remove the ovaries and/or uterus of an animal.

Transitive verb

verb

To take something from; to render imperfect or ineffectual.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"The castrate voice had a strange power not duplicated by soprano or countertenor."
"If the priests of Diana of Ephesus castrated themselves and offered their genitals on the altar, it was because the phallus was the symbol of the dying body."
"behold the Eunuch of castrated thought"

Etymology

Likely from an unattested sense of Middle English castrat (“(adjective) castrated; (noun) a castrated animal”), substantivized borrowing of Latin castrātus, perfect passive participle of castrō (“to prune, amputate, castrate”), see -ate (noun-forming suffix)).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: castrat, castrātus, castrō

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈkæs.tɹeɪt/
British English: /kæsˈtɹeɪt/

Usage

Transitive verb

Inflected Forms

castrates (plural) castrates (present, singular) castrating (participle, present) castrated (participle, past) castrated (past)

Derived Forms

castratable castratee castrater castration castratism castrative castrator castratrix hemicastrate immunocastrate semicastrate uncastrate

Synonyms

geld spay f neuter sterilize alter eunuch spay emasculate demasculinize demasculinise

Rhymes With

great state wait late date rate hate straight love-hate eight create weight

Questions

How do you pronounce castrate?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkæs.tɹeɪt/.
What does castrate mean?: A castrated man; a eunuch.
Where does castrate come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce castrate

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “castrate”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈkæs.tɹeɪt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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