castrate

/ˈkæs.tɹeɪt/

KÆS · tɹeɪt (2 syllables)

English Noun Top 28,194

Definition

A castrated man; a eunuch.

Etymology

Likely from an unattested sense of Middle English castrat (“(adjective) castrated; (noun) a castrated animal”), substantivized borrowing of Latin castrātus, perfect passive participle of castrō (“to prune, amputate, castrate”), see -ate (noun-forming suffix)).

Example Sentences

"The castrate voice had a strange power not duplicated by soprano or countertenor."