decapitate
verb
Did you know?
Decapitation is a quick and fairly painless way to go, so it was once considered suitable only for nobles like Sir Walter Raleigh, Mary Queen of Scots, and two of Henry VIII's unfortunate wives. The invention of the guillotine in the 18th century was meant to make execution swifter and more painless than hanging or a badly aimed blow by the executioner's sword.
Examples of decapitate in a Sentence
Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
Dies After Getting Pulled Into Wood Chipper While Working, Officials Say
Lynne Ladner, the Town Manager of Ocean Ridge, shared in a news conference that the landscaper went head first into the wood chipper up to his shoulders, which resulted in him being decapitated by the machine.
—Escher Walcott, People.com, 29 Jan. 2025
Lynne Ladner, the town manager of Ocean Ridge, told CBS affiliate WPEC that the man was pulled into the wood chipper up to his shoulders and was decapitated.
—Kierra Frazier, CBS News, 29 Jan. 2025
She was born in Louisville, Ky., the daughter of a man with schizophrenia who, in 1983, decapitated a 76-year-old woman.
—Eric Jason Martin Krish Seenivasan Aaron Esposito Quinton Kamara, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for decapitate
Cite this Entry
“Decapitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decapitate. Accessed 16 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
decapitate
verb
derived from Latin decapitare "to cut off the head of," from de- "from, away" and caput "head" — related to capital
Medical Definition
decapitate
1 of 2 transitive verb
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