CIDE DICTIONARY

lacerate, v. t. [L. laceratus, p. p. of lacerare to lacerate, fr. lacer mangled, lacerated; cf. Gr. a rent, rending, to tear; perh. akin to E. slay.].

To tear; to rend; to separate by tearing; to mangle; as, to lacerate the flesh. [1913 Webster]

lacerate, p. a. [L. laceratus, p. p.].

Rent; torn; mangled; as, a lacerated wound. [1913 Webster]
"By each other's fury lacerate" [1913 Webster]
Jagged, or slashed irregularly, at the end, or along the edge. [1913 Webster]

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OXFORD DICTIONARY

lacerate, v.tr.
1 mangle or tear (esp. flesh or tissue).
2 distress or cause pain to (the feelings, the heart, etc.).

Derivative

lacerable adj. laceration n.

Etymology

L lacerare f. lacer torn

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THESAURUS

lacerate

abrade, afflict, agonize, ail, bark, bite, blemish, bloody, break, burn, chafe, check, chip, claw, convulse, crack, craze, crucify, cut, defoliate, denude, dismember, distress, draw and quarter, excruciate, fester, flay, fracture, fray, frazzle, fret, gall, gash, give pain, gnaw, grate, grind, gripe, harrow, hurt, impale, incise, inflame, inflict pain, injure, irritate, kill by inches, lancinate, macerate, maim, make mincemeat of, mangle, martyr, martyrize, maul, mutilate, nip, pain, peel, pick to pieces, pierce, pinch, prick, prolong the agony, pull apart, puncture, punish, put to torture, rack, rankle, rasp, rend, rip, rub, run, rupture, savage, scald, scarify, scorch, scotch, scrape, scratch, scuff, shred, skin, slash, slit, sprain, stab, stick, sting, strain, strip, take apart, tear, tear apart, tear to pieces, tear to tatters, torment, torture, traumatize, tweak, twist, wound, wrench, wring

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ROGET THESAURUS

lacerate

Disjunction

VB be disjoined, come off, fall off, come to pieces, fall to pieces, peel off, get loose, disjoin, disconnect, disengage, disunite, dissociate, dispair, divorce, part, dispart, detach, separate, cut off, rescind, segregate, set apart, keep apart, insulate, isolate, throw out of gear, cut adrift, loose, unloose, undo, unbind, unchain, unlock, unpack, unravel, disentangle, set free, sunder, divide, subdivide, sever, dissever, abscind, circumcise, cut, incide, incise, saw, snip, nib, nip, cleave, rive, rend, slit, split, splinter, chip, crack, snap, break, tear, burst, rend, rend asunder, rend in twain, wrench, rupture, shatter, shiver, cranch, crunch, craunch, chop, cut up, rip up, hack, hew, slash, whittle, haggle, hackle, discind, lacerate, scamble, mangle, gash, hash, slice, cut up, carve, dissect, anatomize, dislimb, take to pieces, pull to pieces, pick to pieces, tear to pieces, tear to tatters, tear piecemeal, tear limb from limb, divellicate, skin, disintegrate, dismember, disbranch, disband, disperse, dislocate, disjoint, break up, mince, comminute, apportion, part, part company, separate, leave.

Physical Pain

VB feel pain, experience pain, suffer pain, undergo pain, suffer, ache, smart, bleed, tingle, shoot, twinge, twitch, lancinate, writhe, wince, make a wry face, sit on thorns, sit on pins and needles, give pain, inflict pain, lacerate, pain, hurt, chafe, sting, bite, gnaw, gripe, pinch, tweak, grate, gall, fret, prick, pierce, wring, convulse, torment, torture, rack, agonize, crucify, cruciate, excruciate, break on the wheel, put to the rack, flog, grate on the ear.

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