Make Your Point > Archived Issues > DECEREBRATE
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pronounce
DECEREBRATE:
For the verb, say "dee SAIR uh brate."
For the adjective, say "dee SAIR uh brut."
To hear them, click here.
The two pronunciations make sense when you think of parallels like "separate," the verb, and "separate," the adjective. Hear the difference: "Let's separate these into three separate piles."
connect this word to others:
"I was experimenting to see if I could remove my own brain. Getting the brain out was the easy part. The hard part was getting the brain out!"
There's Professor Farnsworth, who apparently didn't quite finish decerebrating himself.
See if you can take that word decerebrate, pluck off the "de-," add a suffix, and come up with a brainy-sounding synonym for "brainy."
definition:
The word "decerebrate" has Latin bits that mean "to (take) the brain out."
Literally speaking, to decerebrate a creature is to remove its brain, or to stop it from being able to use its brain. (Sadly, it's something done to lab animals by scientists studying brain functions and reflexes.)
Also literally speaking, if a person is suffering from decerebrate posture or decerebrate rigidity, it may be a sign of injury to the brain. I'm not a medical professional, so please don't quote me on that.
Figuratively speaking, to decerebrate someone is to take away their ability to think or reason. (Say this verb "dee SAIR uh brate.")
And, someone or something decerebrate is brainless, or unthinking. (Say this adjective "dee SAIR uh brut.")
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
Both a verb ("They decerebrated the frog") and an adjective ("They observed the decerebrate frog").
Other forms:
The other verb forms are "decerebrated" and "decerebrating."
And an alternate verb is "decerebrize." If you meet it outside a dictionary, I'll be shocked.
The noun is "decerebration."
how to use it:
"Decerebrate" is extremely rare, with a scientific tone. Still, thanks to its similarity to words like "cerebral" and "cerebellum," it's pretty easy to understand.
I'd say, 99.999% of the time, "decerebrate" is not the word you want. It's too stiff and scholarly. You want to say "stupefy," "stultify," "deaden," "render braindead," or something like that.
But on the rare occasion that you need a synonym that sounds weird, medical, and off-putting, you might pick "decerebrate." You might say something decerebrates you. Or, you might talk about someone's decerebrate comments, arguments, or ignorance.
examples:
The same six songs played again and again, over and over in an infinite, decerebrating loop.
"You haven't the sense of a decerebrate Capellan grackle!"
— J. F. Bone, The Lani People, 1962
has this page helped you understand "decerebrate"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "decerebrate" without saying "stupefy" or "stultify."
try it out:
Think of some process, activity, or ceremony that's so boring or so exhausting that it makes you lose all sensation--and then makes you lose your mind.
Fill in the blanks: "First (some pretty boring or exhausting part) anesthetizes you, and then (some part that's even worse) decerebrates you."
Example: "First the long speeches anesthetize you, and then the reading of every single graduate's name decerebrates you."
before you review, play:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
Our game this month is "Serious Words, Silliest Names."
Match each word to the silly name it evokes. For example, match "pecuniary" to Owen Cash, "hoodwink" to Howie Cheatham, and "debacle" to Oliver Sutton.
To see the answers, scroll all the way down. Enjoy!
Try these today:
DECALOGUE: _____
COMMISERATE: _____
LODESTAR: _____
PIQUANT: _____
PLATEAU: _____
Bill O. Reitz
Noah Way
Ophelia Payne
Stan Still
X. Benedict
review this word:
1.
The opposite of DECEREBRATE, in its figurative sense, is
A. RATIONAL.
B. ACCURATE.
C. CALCULATING.
2.
In Michael Innes's novel A Family Affair, Oswyn is _____, "practically decerebrate."
A. brilliant but ruthless
B. nerdy but highly self-aware
C. aristocratic but empty-headed
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
On vocabulary...
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.
From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
For the verb, say "dee SAIR uh brate."
"I was experimenting to see if I could remove my own brain. Getting the brain out was the easy part. The hard part was getting the brain out!"
The word "decerebrate" has Latin bits that mean "to (take) the brain out."
Part of speech:
"Decerebrate" is extremely rare, with a scientific tone. Still, thanks to its similarity to words like "cerebral" and "cerebellum," it's pretty easy to understand.
The same six songs played again and again, over and over in an infinite, decerebrating loop.
Explain the meaning of "decerebrate" without saying "stupefy" or "stultify."
Think of some process, activity, or ceremony that's so boring or so exhausting that it makes you lose all sensation--and then makes you lose your mind.
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
1.
The opposite of DECEREBRATE, in its figurative sense, is
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. |