lacerate
/ˈlæ.sɚ.ɛɪt/
"lacerate" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“lacerate” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To tear, rip or wound.
Corpus desk
Index EN-lacerate · lacerate · English
lacerate · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 8 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "L" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | lacerate |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈlæ.sɚ.ɛɪt/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “lacerate” in English
Rare enough to double-check
lacerate is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈlæ.sɚ.ɛɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
No generated misspelling entries exist for lacerate in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: The verb is first attested in 1425, the adjective in 1514; inherited from Middle English laceraten, borrowed from Latin lacerātus, perfect passive participle of lacerō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix). The correct English form is lacerate, spelled L-A-C-E-R-A-T-E.
Definition
- 1To tear, rip or wound.
- 2To defeat thoroughly; to thrash.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how lacerate appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Machinery, surgical precision / Lacerate the limbs of the poorest of the children / Watch them scatter through the fields of departed
When the fixtures tumbled out of the computer for the start of a newly promoted season, Nigel Adkins must have wondered whether he had unknowingly broken any mirrors while walking under a ladder. Hot on the heels of a tough introduction to both Manchester clubs, a rampant Arsenal lacerated Southampton.
Etymology
The verb is first attested in 1425, the adjective in 1514; inherited from Middle English laceraten, borrowed from Latin lacerātus, perfect passive participle of lacerō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix).
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.