emasculate

UK: /ɪˈmæskjʊleɪt/

US: /ɪˈmæskjəˌleɪt/

US: (v. i mas′kyə lāt′; adj. i mas′kyə lit, -lāt′)

Inflections of 'emasculate' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

emasculates

v 3rd person singular

emasculating

v pres p

emasculated

v past

emasculated

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

e•mas•cu•late /ɪˈmæskyəˌleɪt/   v. [~ + object] , -lat•ed, -lat•ing. 

1. to deprive of strength or vigor; weaken:
   The court emasculated the laws against speeding by fining offenders only five dollars.

e•mas•cu•la•tion /ɛˌmæskyəˈleɪʃən/  n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

e•mas•cu•late  (v. i mas′kyə lāt′;adj. i mas′kyə lit, -lāt′), v., -lat•ed, -lat•ing, adj. 
v.t. 

1. to castrate.
2. to deprive of strength or vigor;
   weaken.

adj. 

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

• Latin ēmasculātus (past participle of ēmasculāre), equivalent. to ē- e- + māscul(us) male + -ātus -ate¹
• 1600–10

e•mas′cu•la′tion, n. 
e•mas′cu•la′tive, adj. 
e•mas′cu•la′tor, n. 
e•mas•cu•la•to•ry  (i mas′kyə lə tôr′ē, -tōr′ē), adj.  Synonyms

• 2. debilitate, undermine, devitalize, soften.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

emasculate verb / ɪˈmæskjʊˌleɪt/(transitive)

1. to remove the testicles of; castrate; geld
2. to deprive of vigour, effectiveness, etc
3. to remove the stamens from (a flower) to prevent self-pollination for the purposes of plant breeding

adjective / ɪˈmæskjʊlɪt -ˌleɪt/

1. castrated; gelded
2. deprived of strength, effectiveness, etc

Etymology: 17th Century: from Latin ēmasculāre, from masculus male; see masculine

eˌmascuˈlation noun

eˈmasculative, eˈmasculatory adjective

eˈmascuˌlator noun