Added 9 October 2026
castrate
/kæsˈtɹeɪt/ noun
In Latin: castrō Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about castrate at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
verb
-
Deprive of strength or vigor.
The Senate emasculated the law
-
Edit by omitting or modifying parts considered indelicate.
bowdlerize a novel
- Remove the testicles of a male animal.
Origin
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)).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)