desex

C2+ Topic:Describing People

US /diˈsɛks/ UK /diːˈsɛks/ See IPA manual

verb

Meanings

1

verb
to deprive of sexual character or function; to neuter

The clinic offered to desex stray cats free of charge.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to deprive of sexual... neuter castrate sterilize geld spay

Word family

Derived forms desexeddesexing

Related forms sexunsex

Etymology

From de- ('removal') + sex. Sex is from Latin sexus ('gender, sex'), possibly related to secare ('to divide').

de- Latin sexus Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing People

# desex

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** diˈsɛks
**IPA (UK):** diːˈsɛks

## Meanings
1. to deprive of sexual character or function; to neuter

## Examples
- The clinic offered to desex stray cats free of charge.

## Synonyms
- neuter
- castrate
- sterilize
- geld
- spay

## Derived Forms
- desexed
- desexing

## Related Forms
- sex
- unsex

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: de-
- Root: sexus

## Etymology
From de- ('removal') + sex. Sex is from Latin sexus ('gender, sex'), possibly related to secare ('to divide').

## AI Etymology
Desex is from de- ('removal') + sex. Sex is from Latin sexus ('gender, sex'), possibly related to secare ('to divide'). The ancestry passes through Latin de- and Latin sexus. The prefix de- often marks removal, reversal, or downward motion in Latin formations, helping to explain the word's surface structure. In present use as a verb, it means "to deprive of sexual character or function; to neuter", keeping the historical formation close to the word's ordinary semantic work. Related words include sex and unsex; derived forms include desexed and desexing.

## Topics
- Describing People

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