dismember
English edit
Alternative forms edit
- dismembre (obsolete)
Etymology edit
From Middle English, from Old French desmembrer, from des- (“de-”) + membre (“limb”) + -er (“verbal suffix”).
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
dismember (third-person singular simple present dismembers, present participle dismembering, simple past and past participle dismembered)
- (transitive) To remove the limbs of.
- Death by drawing and quartering usually dismembered the condemned person.
- (transitive) To cut or otherwise divide something into pieces.
- The killer methodically dismembered the bodies of his victims.
- The American Civil War nearly dismembered the Union.
Derived terms edit
Translations edit
remove limbs
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cut into pieces
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