amputate

IPA/ˈæmpjuteɪt/
KK[ˈæmpjətˌet]IPA/ˈæmpjuteɪt/

amputate — verb

  • amputatepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • amputateshe / she / it
  • amputatedpast simple
  • amputating-ing form

1. to surgically remove a damaged limb or digit when it is so badly injured, infect

1.動詞及物B2
釋義

to surgically remove a damaged limb or digit when it is so badly injured, infected, or diseased that it cannot be saved — for example, a foot with gangrene or a hand crushed in an accident.

例句

After the car accident, the doctors had to amputate Gabriel's left leg below the knee.

transitive: amputate + body part + location

The surgeon warned Mira that she might need her infected toe amputated if the antibiotics failed.

passive: have + body part + amputated

同義詞
  • sever

    more general and often violent; can happen accidentally or deliberately, not only in surgery

  • cut off

    informal, non-technical; used for any kind of separation, not just medical

  • remove

    broader meaning; covers any kind of taking away, not only body parts

反義詞
  • reattach

    to surgically join a severed body part back to the body

  • save

    to treat a damaged body part so that amputation is not necessary; e.g. 'The doctors managed to save his foot.'

文法句型

amputate + body part

have + body part + amputated

用法筆記

The object of amputate is always the body part being removed, not the person. Use have + body part + amputated to describe the patient's experience (e.g. 'She had her leg amputated'). Unlike cut off, amputate specifically refers to a medical procedure performed by a qualified surgeon.

常見錯誤

❌The hospital amputated the patient.
✅The hospital amputated the patient's leg.
💡The object must be the body part, not the person.
❌He amputated his own finger with kitchen scissors.
✅A surgeon amputated his finger in the operating room.
💡'Amputate' implies a professional medical procedure, not a DIY action.