decapitate

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English

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Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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  • (UK) IPA(key): /dɪˈkap.ɪt.eɪt/
  • (US) IPA(key): /dɪˈkæp.ə.teɪt/, /dɪˈkæp.ɪ.teɪt/, /də-/
  • Audio (US):(file)

Verb

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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, “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.).
    • December 7 2022, Simon Shuster, “2022 Person of the Year: Volodymyr Zelensky”, in Time[2]:
      The Russian goal at the start of the invasion had been to kill or capture Zelensky and decapitate his government.

Synonyms

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Antonyms

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Hyponyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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Italian

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Verb

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decapitate

  1. second-person plural present and imperative of decapitare

Spanish

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Verb

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decapitate

  1. second-person singular voseo imperative of decapitar combined with te