eviscerate

[ verb ih-vis-uh-reyt; adjective ih-vis-er-it, -uh-reyt ]

verb (used with object)

, e·vis·cer·at·ed, e·vis·cer·at·ing.

1. to remove the entrails from; disembowel:

   to eviscerate a chicken.

2. to deprive of vital or essential parts:

   The censors eviscerated the book to make it inoffensive to the leaders of the party.

3. Surgery. to remove the contents of (a body organ).

eviscerate

/ ɪˈvɪsəˌreɪt /

verb

1. tr to remove the internal organs of; disembowel
2. tr to deprive of meaning or significance
3. tr surgery to remove the contents of (the eyeball or other organ)
4. intr surgery (of the viscera) to protrude through a weakened abdominal incision after an operation

adjective

1. having been disembowelled

Derived Forms

• eˈviscerˌator, noun
• eˌviscerˈation, noun

Other Words From

• e·vis·cer·a·tion [ih-vis-, uh, -, rey, -sh, uh, n], noun
• e·vis·cer·a·tor noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of eviscerate¹

First recorded in 1600–10; from Latin ēviscerātus, past participle of ēviscerāre “to deprive of entrails, tear to pieces,” equivalent to ē- e- ¹ + viscer(a) viscera + -ātus -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of eviscerate¹

C17: from Latin ēviscerāre to disembowel, from viscera entrails

Example Sentences

“Some of the intrinsic advantages of L.A. have been eviscerated,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

Big business has been trying to eviscerate anti-fraud laws for more than a century.

From Los Angeles Times

He wrote in his Shelby County decision, which eviscerated the Voting Rights Act, that “the way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.”

From Salon

He eviscerated the former president for lying to victims of the recent hurricanes about the federal government’s efforts to deliver relief.

From Los Angeles Times

“I could just tell. The certainty with which he eviscerated me indicated that this is not going to be a one-off opinion.”

From Los Angeles Times