mutilate

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C1 — Advanced

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. verb destroy or injure severely
  2. verb alter so as to make unrecognizable
  3. verb destroy or injure severely

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin mutilātus, the perfect passive participle of mutilō (“to mutilate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), itself from mutilus (“maimed”).

In classic literature

Synonyms

mangle, cut up

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