"decapitate" meaning in English

See decapitate in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

IPA: /dɪˈkap.ɪt.eɪt/ [UK], /dɪˈkæp.ə.teɪt/ [US], /dɪˈkæp.ɪ.teɪt/ [US], /də-/ [US] Audio: En-ca-decapitate.oga [US] Forms: decapitates [present, singular, third-person], decapitating [participle, present], decapitated [participle, past], decapitated [past]
Etymology: From French décapiter, from Late Latin decapitare, from de- + caput. Etymology templates: {{bor|en|fr|décapiter}} French décapiter, {{der|en|LL.|decapitare}} Late Latin decapitare, {{m|la|de-}} de-, {{m|la|caput}} caput Head templates: {{en-verb}} decapitate (third-person singular simple present decapitates, present participle decapitating, simple past and past participle decapitated)
  1. (transitive, literal) To remove the head of. Tags: transitive
    Sense id: en-decapitate-en-verb-74~9F-rV
  2. (transitive, figurative) To oust or destroy the leadership or ruling body of (a government etc.). Tags: figuratively, transitive
    Sense id: en-decapitate-en-verb-LVJHLKNT Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 30 70
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: behead, decollate Hyponyms: guillotine Derived forms: decapitable, decapitation

Inflected forms

Download JSON data for decapitate meaning in English (3.5kB)

{
  "antonyms": [
    {
      "word": "recapitate"
    }
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "decapitable"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "decapitation"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "décapiter"
      },
      "expansion": "French décapiter",
      "name": "bor"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "LL.",
        "3": "decapitare"
      },
      "expansion": "Late Latin decapitare",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "la",
        "2": "de-"
      },
      "expansion": "de-",
      "name": "m"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "la",
        "2": "caput"
      },
      "expansion": "caput",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From French décapiter, from Late Latin decapitare, from de- + caput.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "decapitates",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "decapitating",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "decapitated",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "decapitated",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "decapitate (third-person singular simple present decapitates, present participle decapitating, simple past and past participle decapitated)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "hyponyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "guillotine"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2013, “Accident: 202674701 - Worker Paving Airstrip Is Struck By Airplane And Decapitated”, in Occupational Safety and Health Administration, archived from the original on 2022-07-15",
          "text": "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.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To remove the head of."
      ],
      "id": "en-decapitate-en-verb-74~9F-rV",
      "links": [
        [
          "remove",
          "remove"
        ],
        [
          "head",
          "head"
        ]
      ],
      "qualifier": "literal",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive, literal) To remove the head of."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "30 70",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "December 7 2022, Simon Shuster, “2022 Person of the Year: Volodymyr Zelensky”, in Time",
          "text": "The Russian goal at the start of the invasion had been to kill or capture Zelensky and decapitate his government.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To oust or destroy the leadership or ruling body of (a government etc.)."
      ],
      "id": "en-decapitate-en-verb-LVJHLKNT",
      "links": [
        [
          "oust",
          "oust"
        ],
        [
          "destroy",
          "destroy"
        ],
        [
          "leadership",
          "leadership"
        ],
        [
          "ruling",
          "ruling"
        ],
        [
          "body",
          "body"
        ],
        [
          "government",
          "government"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive, figurative) To oust or destroy the leadership or ruling body of (a government etc.)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively",
        "transitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/dɪˈkap.ɪt.eɪt/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/dɪˈkæp.ə.teɪt/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/dɪˈkæp.ɪ.teɪt/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/də-/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-ca-decapitate.oga",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/c/c0/En-ca-decapitate.oga/En-ca-decapitate.oga.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/En-ca-decapitate.oga",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (US)"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "behead"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "decollate"
    }
  ],
  "word": "decapitate"
}
{
  "antonyms": [
    {
      "word": "recapitate"
    }
  ],
  "categories": [
    "English 4-syllable words",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English terms borrowed from French",
    "English terms derived from French",
    "English terms derived from Late Latin",
    "English terms with IPA pronunciation",
    "English terms with audio links",
    "English verbs"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "decapitable"
    },
    {
      "word": "decapitation"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "décapiter"
      },
      "expansion": "French décapiter",
      "name": "bor"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "LL.",
        "3": "decapitare"
      },
      "expansion": "Late Latin decapitare",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "la",
        "2": "de-"
      },
      "expansion": "de-",
      "name": "m"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "la",
        "2": "caput"
      },
      "expansion": "caput",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From French décapiter, from Late Latin decapitare, from de- + caput.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "decapitates",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "decapitating",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "decapitated",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "decapitated",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "decapitate (third-person singular simple present decapitates, present participle decapitating, simple past and past participle decapitated)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "hyponyms": [
    {
      "word": "guillotine"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English transitive verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2013, “Accident: 202674701 - Worker Paving Airstrip Is Struck By Airplane And Decapitated”, in Occupational Safety and Health Administration, archived from the original on 2022-07-15",
          "text": "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.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To remove the head of."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "remove",
          "remove"
        ],
        [
          "head",
          "head"
        ]
      ],
      "qualifier": "literal",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive, literal) To remove the head of."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English transitive verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "December 7 2022, Simon Shuster, “2022 Person of the Year: Volodymyr Zelensky”, in Time",
          "text": "The Russian goal at the start of the invasion had been to kill or capture Zelensky and decapitate his government.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To oust or destroy the leadership or ruling body of (a government etc.)."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "oust",
          "oust"
        ],
        [
          "destroy",
          "destroy"
        ],
        [
          "leadership",
          "leadership"
        ],
        [
          "ruling",
          "ruling"
        ],
        [
          "body",
          "body"
        ],
        [
          "government",
          "government"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive, figurative) To oust or destroy the leadership or ruling body of (a government etc.)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively",
        "transitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/dɪˈkap.ɪt.eɪt/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/dɪˈkæp.ə.teɪt/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/dɪˈkæp.ɪ.teɪt/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/də-/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-ca-decapitate.oga",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/c/c0/En-ca-decapitate.oga/En-ca-decapitate.oga.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/En-ca-decapitate.oga",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (US)"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "behead"
    },
    {
      "word": "decollate"
    }
  ],
  "word": "decapitate"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-04-24 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (82c8ff9 and f4967a5). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.