dismember

English

Alternative forms

• dismembre (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English, from Old French desmembrer, from des- (“de-”) + membre (“limb”) + -er (“verbal suffix”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌdɪsˈmɛmbə(ɹ)/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛmbə(ɹ)

Verb

dismember (third-person singular simple present dismembers, present participle dismembering, simple past and past participle dismembered)

1. (transitive) To remove the limbs of.

   Death by drawing and quartering usually dismembered the condemned person.

2. (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

• dismemberment
• dismemberer

Translations

remove limbs

• Arabic: بَتَرَ (ar) (batara), فَكَّكَ (fakkaka)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 斷手足／断手足 (duàn shǒuzú), 支解 (zh) (zhījiě)

• Finnish: teilata
• French: démembrer (fr), dépecer (fr)
• Galician: desmembrar (gl)
• German: zergliedern (de)
• Greek: διαμελίζω (el) (diamelízo)

  Ancient Greek: διαμελίζω (diamelízō)

• Ido: deskorpizar (io)
• Japanese: 切り放す (ja) (きりはなす, kirihanasu)
• Korean: 육시하다 (yuksihada)
• Macedonian: обесчленува (obesčlenuva)
• Polish: rozczłonkowywać (pl) impf, rozczłonkować (pl) pf
• Portuguese: desmembrar (pt)
• Russian: расчленя́ть (ru) impf (rasčlenjátʹ), расчлени́ть (ru) pf (rasčlenítʹ), четвертова́ть (ru) impf or pf (četvertovátʹ)
• Swedish: lemlästa (sv)
• Ukrainian: розчлено́вувати impf (rozčlenóvuvaty), розчленува́ти pf (rozčlenuváty)

cut into pieces

• Finnish: paloitella (fi) (to cut), hajottaa (fi) (to otherwise divide)
• German: zerstückeln (de)
• Greek: διαμελίζω (el) (diamelízo)

  Ancient Greek: διαμελίζω (diamelízō)

• Maori: kotikoti
• Polish: ćwiartować
• Portuguese: desmembrar (pt)
• Russian: расчленя́ть (ru) impf (rasčlenjátʹ), расчлени́ть (ru) pf (rasčlenítʹ)
• Spanish: descuartizar (es), desmembrar (es)
• Swedish: stycka (sv)
• Tagalog: hiwagin

Anagrams

• dismembre