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Webster 1913 Edition


Dismember

Dis-mem′ber

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Dismembered
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Dismembering
.]
[OF.
desmembrer
, F.
démembrer
; pref.
des-
(L.
dis
) + OF. & F.
membre
limb. See
Member
.]
1.
To tear limb from limb; to dilacerate; to disjoin member from member; to tear or cut in pieces; to break up.
Fowls obscene
dismembered
his remains.
Pope.
A society lacerated and
dismembered
.
Gladstone.
By whose hands the blow should be struck which would
dismember
that once mighty empire.
Buckle.
2.
To deprive of membership.
[Obs.]
Syn. – To disjoint; dislocate; dilacerate; mutilate; divide; sever.

Webster 1828 Edition


Dismember

DISMEMBER

,
Verb.
T.
[dis and member.]
1.
To divide limb from limb; to separate a member from the body; to tear or cut in pieces; to dilacerate; to mutilate.
Fowls obscene dismembered his remains.
2.
To separate a part from the main body; to divide; to sever; as, to dismember an empire, kingdom or republic. Poland was dismembered by the neighboring powers.

Definition 2024


dismember

dismember

English

Alternative forms

Verb

dismember (third-person singular simple present dismembers, present participle dismembering, simple past and past participle dismembered)

  1. (transitive) To remove the limbs of.
    Death by drawing and quartering usually dismembered the condemned person.
  2. (transitive) To cut or otherwise divide something into pieces.
    The killer methodically dismembered the bodies of his victims.
    The American Civil War nearly dismembered the Union.

Derived terms

Translations