emasculate

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e·mas·cu·late / iˈmaskyəˌlāt/ • v. [tr.] make (a person, idea, or piece of legislation) weaker or less effective: our winner-take-all elections emasculate fringe parties like neo-Nazis. ∎  [usu. as adj.] (emasculated) deprive (a man) of his male role or identity: he feels emasculated because he cannot control his sons' behavior. ∎ archaic castrate (a man or male animal). ∎  Bot. remove the anthers from a flower.DERIVATIVES: e·mas·cu·la·tion / iˌmaskyəˈlāshən/ n.e·mas·cu·la·tor / -ˌlātər/ n.e·mas·cu·la·to·ry / -ləˌtôrē/ adj.

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