mu·ti·late (myūt'l-āt')
tr.v., -lat·ed, -lat·ing, -lates.

1. To deprive of a limb or an essential part; cripple.
2. To disfigure by damaging irreparably: mutilate a statue. See synonyms at batter¹.
3. To make imperfect by excising or altering parts.

[Latin mutilāre, mutilāt-, from mutilus, maimed.]

mutilation mu'ti·la'tion n.
mutilative mu'ti·la'tive adj.
mutilator mu'ti·la'tor n.

---

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

---