amputate
Definitions
To cut off a limb or part of the body, usually in a medical operation
截肢，切除肢体
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedamb- (around) + put (here in putāre's original 'prune' sense) + -ate = to 'cut around,' to prune off. Unlike its siblings, amputate uses putāre's literal meaning, not the 'reckon' one: a surgeon prunes a limb the way a gardener prunes a branch.
Root put still carries 14 more wordsWhy It Means This
amputate is the family's odd one out — and the most revealing. Every other put- word drifted into the world of the mind (compute, dispute, reputation). amputate alone stayed with the knife, preserving putāre's oldest meaning, 'to prune.' It's a fossil: the literal action that all the 'thinking' words quietly grew out of.
Common Collocations
- 1.amputate a leg截掉一条腿
- 2.amputate an arm截掉一只手臂
- 3.have a limb amputated被截肢
Example Sentences
- 1.
Surgeons had to amputate his leg below the knee.
- 2.
Doctors amputated the frostbitten toes to stop the infection.