emasculate

American  

[ih-mas-kyuh-leyt, ih-mas-kyuh-lit, -leyt] / ɪˈmæs kyəˌleɪt, ɪˈmæs kyə lɪt, -ˌleɪt /

verb (used with object)

emasculated, emasculating

1. to deprive of strength; weaken.

   The law was emasculated by its opponents, making it largely ineffective by the time it was passed.

   Synonyms:

   soften, devitalize, undermine, debilitate

2. to make (a man) feel less masculine.

   Though some men might feel emasculated not making an income, I'm very happy as a stay-at-home father.

3. to remove the testicles of; castrate.

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adjective

1. deprived of or lacking strength or vigor; effeminate.

emasculate British  

verb

1. to remove the testicles of; castrate; geld

2. to deprive of vigour, effectiveness, etc

3. botany to remove the stamens from (a flower) to prevent self-pollination for the purposes of plant breeding

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adjective

1. castrated; gelded

2. deprived of strength, effectiveness, etc

Other Word Forms

• emasculation noun
• emasculative adjective
• emasculator noun
• emasculatory adjective
• self-emasculation noun
• unemasculated adjective
• unemasculative adjective
• unemasculatory adjective

Etymology

Origin of emasculate

First recorded in 1600–10; from Latin ēmasculātus (past participle of ēmasculāre ), equivalent to ē- “from”+ māscul(us) “male” + -ātus adjective suffix; e- ¹, male, -ate ¹

Related Words

• vitiate