desex C2+ Topic:Describing People US /diˈsɛks/ UK /diːˈsɛks/ See IPA manual 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... neutercastratesterilizegeldspay Word family Derived forms desexeddesexing Related forms sexunsex Etymology AI details 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 External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # 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 markdown