amputate

UK: /ˈæmpjʊteɪt/ US: /ˈæmpjʊˌteɪt/ ,(am′pyŏŏ tāt′)

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

amputates

v 3rd person singular

amputating

v pres p

amputated

v past

amputated

v past p

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

am•pu•tate /ˈæmpyʊˌteɪt/   v. [~ + object] , -tat•ed, -tat•ing. 

1. Surgery to cut off surgically (all or part of a limb or digit of the body):
   forced to amputate her leg.

am•pu•ta•tion /ˌæmpyʊˈteɪʃən/  n. [uncountable* countable] See -pute-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

am•pu•tate  (am′pyŏŏ tāt′), v.t., -tat•ed, -tat•ing. 

1. Surgery to cut off (all or part of a limb or digit of the body), as by surgery.
2. to prune, lop off, or remove:
   Because of space limitations the editor amputated the last two paragraphs of the news report.
3. Botany [Obs.] to prune, as branches of trees.

• Latin amputātus pruned, trimmed (past participle of amputāre), equivalent. to am(bi) around (compare ambi-) + put- trim + -ātus -ate¹
• 1630–40

am′pu•ta′tion, n. 
am′pu•ta′tive, adj. 
am′pu•ta′tor, n. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

amputate / ˈæmpjʊˌteɪt/ verb

1. to remove (all or part of a limb, esp an arm or leg)

Etymology: 17th Century: from Latin amputāre, from am- around + putāre to trim, prune

ˌampuˈtation noun