amputate v : remove surgically; "amputate limbs" [syn: cut off]

Amputate \Am"pu*tate\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Amputated; p. pr. & vb. n. Amputating.] [L. amputatus, p. p. of amputare: amb- + putare to prune, putus clean, akin to E. pure. See Putative.]
1. To prune or lop off, as branches or tendrils.
2. (Surg.) To cut off (a limb or projecting part of the body). --Wiseman.

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Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for such problems. A special case is the congenital amputation, a congenital disorder, where foetal limbs have been cut off by constrictive bands. In some countries, amputation of the hands or feet is or was used as a form of punishment for people who committed crimes. Amputation has also been used as a tactic in war and acts of terrorism; it may also occur as a war injury. In some cultures and religions, minor amputations or mutilations are considered a ritual accomplishment. Unlike some non-mammalian animals (such as lizards that shed their tails, salamanders that can regrow many missing body parts, and hydras, flatworms, and starfish that can regrow entire bodies from small fragments), once removed, human extremities do not grow back, unlike portions of some organs, such as the liver. A transplant or a prosthesis are the only options for recovering the loss.

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