amputate
verb
Examples of amputate in a Sentence
Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2023
In June 2021, half of James’s face, including his nose and his left eye, was destroyed after he was electrocuted on the job as a lineman — and doctors also had to amputate his dominant left arm.
—Eileen Finan, Peoplemag, 10 Nov. 2023
The condition of her arms then got worse, and on April 6, they were amputated just below the elbows.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, Peoplemag, 15 Nov. 2023
One man, his leg apparently amputated, said goodbye to his loved ones, accepting their kisses on his cheeks and forehead.
—Lawahez Jabari, NBC News, 1 Nov. 2023
By the time doctors evaluated warning signs that the leg had been injured, compartment syndrome had set in and the surgeon had to amputate below the knee to save the patient’s life.
—Katie Shepherd, Washington Post, 24 Sep. 2023
Three people had to have at least one leg amputated, and 11 died.
—Erika Edwards, NBC News, 2 Sep. 2023
The two women in the photo both had the same kind of bone cancer, but had two different treatments: one patient had a limb amputated, while the other underwent limb-sparing surgery.
—Wendy Grossman Kantor, Peoplemag, 19 Aug. 2023
He has been brought to Mechnikov so that doctors can treat complications from a leg that was amputated a few days ago at a hospital closer to the front line.
—Samya Kullab, Chicago Tribune, 26 July 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'amputate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
borrowed from Latin amputātus, past participle of amputāre "to prune back (a plant), prune away, remove by cutting (unwanted parts or features), cut off (a branch, limb, body part)," from am-, assimilated variant of amb- "about, around" + putāre "to prune, make clean or tidy, scour (wool)" — more at ambient entry 1, putative
1612, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near amputate
Cite this Entry
“Amputate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amputate. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
amputate
verb
Medical Definition
amputate
transitive verb
More from Merriam-Webster on amputate
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for amputate
Nglish: Translation of amputate for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of amputate for Arabic Speakers
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