Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

amputate

/ˈæmpjʊteɪt/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 2.41 in modern English

Syllables: am-pu-tate
IPA: /ˈæmpjʊteɪt/

12

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

3

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To cut off, to prune.

Obsolete

verb

To surgically remove a part of the body, especially a limb.

Example Sentences

"The surgeon had to amputate the patient’s leg to save his life."
"Several soldiers had limbs amputated after the battle."

Etymology

From Latin amputō (“prune, cut away”). The original sense of pruning (a tree, etc.) became obsolete. The OED considers uses related to anything other than an animal limb to be figurative uses of the modern sense.

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: *pewH-, amputō

Usage

Obsolete

Inflected Forms

amputates (present, singular) amputating (participle, present) amputated (participle, past) amputated (past)

Derived Forms

amputator autoamputate

Frequently Paired Words

amputation amputee

Synonyms

cut off

Questions

How do you pronounce amputate?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈæmpjʊteɪt/.
What does amputate mean?: To cut off, to prune.
Where does amputate come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce amputate

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “amputate”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈæmpjʊteɪt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “amputate”.
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