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
Erik Kain, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024
Samuel Paty, 47, was stabbed repeatedly in 2020 outside his school in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine near Paris by an 18-year-old assailant of Chechen origin, then decapitated, days after showing his pupils the caricatures.
—Reuters, CNN, 4 Nov. 2024
The Fallout: In 2019, Kathy Griffin posed with a replica of former President Donald Trump‘s bloodied, decapitated head in her hand.
—Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 30 Oct. 2024
With almost the entirety of Hamas’ old guard decapitated, Mashal seems to be the only choice for maintaining a connection to their past.
—Timothy Nerozzi, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 17 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for decapitate 
Dictionary Entries Near decapitate
Cite this Entry
“Decapitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decapitate. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
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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