Emasculate vs Demasculate: Difference and Comparison

Emasculate is a word in the English dictionary, while demasculate is not a word found in the dictionary but we will be looking at their difference (emasculate vs demasculate).

When used as a transitive verb, the term ‘emasculate’ means to deprive of virile or procreative power, to castrate, to geld. The term emasculate when used as a verb means to strip a male vigour or to remove male genitals.

Demasculate is not a word you would find in the English dictionary. However, it’s defined by some sources as eliminating masculinity totally from an individual.

Can ‘demasculate’ be used as a verb just as emasculate? We will look into that and more in this guide, so stick around to find out.

Definition of Emasculate

The term ‘emasculate’ according to the English dictionary means deprived of virility or vigour: unmanned; weak.

The word ‘emasculate is a verb that means to deprive of virility or procreative power: castrate, or to deprive strength vigour, or spirit: weakness, or to remove the androecium of (a flower) in the process of artificial cross-pollination according to Merriam-Webster dictionary.

In a biological context, emasculate means to castrate (to remove the male sexual parts of) a man or a male animal or to remove the male part of a plant according to the Cambridge Dictionary.

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Etymology of Emasculate

Emasculate is a word found in the English dictionary that came from the Latin ‘emasculatus’. The Latin word ‘emasculatus’ comprises the prefix ‘e’ and the word ‘masculus’ which means male.

The prefix ‘e’ was added to a Latin word to indicate the absence of an attribute. This means that the word ‘emasculate’ defines the removal of a male attribute.

Emasculate vs Demasculate: A Metaphorical Meaning of Emasculate

The word ‘emasculate’ is used metaphorically to describe a man who feels less like a man. Men could feel this way for several reasons.

For example, a man who is unable to provide for his family may feel emasculated. Putting this into a sentence would look something like;

Johnny appreciates his parents-in-law for letting his family live at their house rent-free, but it leaves Johnny feeling somewhat emasculated.

Additionally, the word ‘emasculate’ can be used in a sentence to show the process of reducing the effectiveness or sabotaging of something. Emasculating something would make it less worthy than it used to be.

For example;

We can’t emasculate the law by allowing this new policy change.
My teacher emasculated my essay, making so many changes that I can’t even recognize my work anymore.

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Emasculate: A Botanical Meaning

Emasculate means to remove the androecium of (a flower) in the process of artificial cross-pollination according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary.

A Biological Meaning

The word ‘emasculate’ means and describes the removal of the testes of a man or male animal. This is known as castration and is often done for specific reasons.

Here is how to use the word ‘emasculate’ in a sentence relating to animal castration.

They often emasculate the male animals to prevent them from reproducing.

Demasculate

The word ‘demasculate’ is not found in the English dictionary, whereas the word emasculate’ is a word found in the English dictionary.

However, it’s defined by some sources as eliminating masculinity totally from an individual. But can ‘demasculate’ be used as a verb just as emasculate?

Demasculate can be used as a verb and it simply means to remove the masculinity from a man, while ‘emasculate’ on the other hand means to deprive of virile or procreative power.

How the Term ‘Demasculate’ is often Used by People

Since the term ‘demasculate’ is considered a real word and not found in the English dictionary, why do we get answers after a quick search online?

Now the answer to the question is that the prefix –de is often used in English. It was inherited from Latin and it implies doing the opposite of something (i.e. activate and deactivate).

Let’s explore other English words that often use the prefix –de.

Deforest
Desensitize
Dehumanize
Deform
Decrypt
Degrease
Dehydrate
Deemphasize
Deice

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Because the prefix -de is commonly used by people, it could be the reason to think that ‘demasculte’ is the correct word to say to describe the act of removing a man’s masculinity.

Demasculate sounds like a cool word that makes sense. It would be a surprise for those using this word to realize that it’s not even a word in the English dictionary.

Only by doing thorough research online on the word ‘demasculate’ will people realize that is not a word in the dictionary and it has no meaning.

However, the term ‘demasculate’ is defined by some sources as eliminating masculinity totally from an individual. According to these sources, ‘demasculate’ can be used as a verb and it simply means to remove masculinity from a man.

Now for those who often use the word ‘demasculate,’ there is a dictionary where the word appears. The Urban Dictionary is where you will find the word ‘demasculate’ with its meaning clearly written.

According to the Urban Dictionary, the term ‘demasculate’ means un-castrated, while ‘demasculated’ means to remove a person’s masculinity through any means necessary.

Emasculate vs Demasculate: Use of the Word ‘Emasculate’

The term ‘emasculate’ applies to other fields like the following;

Medical Emasculation	In a medical context, emasculation or gender nullification is a known medical procedure. It involves removing the male genitals completely through surgery.
Agriculture	Here, people working in gardens will remove the pollen from the male plants to ensure pollination is controlled.
Societal Emasculation	Emasculation is a word commonly used by people to describe a man who has lost his masculinity.
Linguistic Use	Emasculate is a regular verb. The past tense and past participle is formed once a “d” is added in the end. Generally, there are two nouns you can form out of the word emasculation, which are emasculator and emasculation.

What other expressions can people use to replace the term ‘emasculate’?

Synonyms

Effeminate
Debilitate
Devitalize
Weaken

Antonyms

Encourage
Fortify
Strengthen

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Example of Sentences with ‘Emasculate’

The following are sentences made using the word ‘emasculate’.

Emasculation was the punishment for people found guilty of rape in ancient China.
Johnny appreciates his parents-in-law for letting his family live at their house rent-free, but it leaves Johnny feeling somewhat emasculated.
Most men feel emasculated when they realize their jobs don’t pay them enough to sustain their families.
They often emasculate the male animals to prevent them from reproducing.

Conclusion

Demasculate on the other hand is not a word in the English dictionary, but some sources define it as eliminating masculinity totally from an individual.

Because the prefix –de is commonly used by people, it could be the reason to think that ‘demasculte’ is the correct word to say to describe the act of removing a man’s masculinity.

We hope this article on the differences between emasculate vs demasculate was helpful.

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References

Thecontentauthority: Emasculate Vs Demasculate, Meaning And Differences
Diffsense: The difference between Demasculate and Emasculate
Writingtips: ‘Emasculate’ or ‘Demasculate’: What’s the Difference?
Merriam-Webster: emasculate
Cambridgedictionary: emasculate

Emasculate vs Demasculate: Difference and Comparison

Definition of Emasculate

Etymology of Emasculate