# amputate

> English word · Verb · IPA /ˈæmpjʊteɪt/ · frequency rank #58,501

## Definitions
1. To cut off, to prune.
2. To surgically remove a part of the body, especially a limb.

## Etymology
From Latin amputō (“prune, cut away”). The original sense of pruning (a tree, etc.) became obsolete. The OED considers uses related to anything other than an animal limb to be figurative uses of the modern sense.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/amputate