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Where does the word "amputate" come from? It comes from Latin amputare, and was adopted directly into English (1630s).
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Where does the word "amputate" come from? It comes from Latin amputare, and was adopted directly into English (1630s).
Amputate’s story begins in Latin: amputare meant “to cut around, to prune.” To cut around, to prune, from am- (around) and putare (to trim). It reached English by 1630s as amputate. Settled as the medical word for surgically removing a limb. Today, amputate means to surgically remove a limb or other part of the body.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient amputare "to cut around, to prune", to cut around, to prune, from am- (around) and putare (to trim).
- Stage 2 · English · 1630s amputate "to surgically remove a limb or part of the body", settled as the medical word for surgically removing a limb.