decapitatev.
/dɪˈkapɪteɪt/ 1.
a. transitive. To cut off the head of (a person or animal); to behead, kill by beheading. Also, to poll a tree, etc.
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society > authority > punishment > capital punishment > execute [verb (transitive)] > behead
beheadc1000
headOE
for-head13..
unheadc1480
firkc1540
decollate1599
decapitate1611
decoll1649
the world > space > place > removal or displacement > remove or displace [verb (transitive)] > remove or take away > the top or front part
poll1577
behead1579
obtruncate1599
decapitate1776
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Decapiter, Descapiter, to decapitate, or behead.
1661 Arnway's Tablet Advt. (T.) Charles the First..murdered, and decapitated before his own door at Whitehall.
1776 Evelyn's Sylva i. vii. §2. 154 Hedgerow ashes may the oftener be decapitated, and will show their heads again sooner than other trees so used.
1867 S. Smiles Huguenots Eng. & Ireland iii. 59 They decapitated beautiful statues of stone, it is true; but the Guises had decapitated the living men.
1872 J. Morley Voltaire vii. 322 In a time when you are not imprisoned or hung or decapitated for holding unpopular opinions.
b. Mathematics. In the symbolical method of calculating seminvariants: To remove the highest number of the symbol.
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1884 A. Cayley in Amer. Jrnl. Math. 7 i. 9 In every case we decapitate the symbol by striking out the highest number.
2. U.S. Politics. To dismiss summarily from office.
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1872 Daily Tel. 5 Jan. At the commencement of any fresh Presidency, hundreds of Democratic employés have their heads cut off to make room for Republicans who, in their turn, will be decapitated when the Democrats get the upper hand again.
1889 in J. S. Farmer Americanisms (at cited word)
Derivatives
deˈcapitated adj.
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1796 Ess. by Soc. of Gentlemen Exeter 228 A very antient decapitated pillar.
1874 W. B. Carpenter Princ. Mental Physiol. i. ii. §67 A decapitated Frog..remains at rest until it is touched.
deˈcapitating n. and adj.
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1827 H. Steuart Planter's Guide (1828) 76 The decapitating of them [trees] is utterly destructive of their health and growth.
1890 Athenæum 8 Mar. 310/1 The suppression of piracy and decapitating expeditions.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1894; most recently modified version published online June 2021).
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