decapitate

English

Etymology

From French décapiter, from Late Latin decapitare, from de- + caput.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dɪˈkapɪteɪt/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Verb

decapitate (third-person singular simple present decapitates, present participle decapitating, simple past and past participle decapitated)

1. (transitive, literal) To remove the head of.
   • 2013, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, “Accident: 202674701 - Worker Paving Airstrip Is Struck By Airplane And Decapitated”, in Occupational Safety and Health Administration‎^[1], archived from the original on 15 July 2022:

     Employee #1 was in the center of the runway, working alone approximately 300 feet from the end that led to the plane loading area and hangars. A pilot flying an airplane, Schweizer Aircraft Corporation Model G-164 B, approached the airstrip from the opposite end and landed. As the pilot taxied the plane toward the hangar, the plane's propeller struck Employee #1 in the head and decapitated him.

2. (transitive, figurative) To oust or destroy the leadership or ruling body of (a government etc.).

Synonyms

• behead
• decollate

Hyponyms

• guillotine

Antonyms

• recapitate

Derived terms

• decapitable
• decapitation

Translations

remove the head of — see behead

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Italian

Verb

decapitate

1. second-person plural present and imperative of decapitare