Meanings
present singular third person circumcises · participle present circumcising · participle past circumcised · past circumcised · alternative obsolete circumcize
- To surgically remove the foreskin (prepuce) from the penis of.
1 more example
The woman then explained [...] "I was married to this husband, who is one of their great men, and who is, moreover, a Jew, for there are different religions among them; and I also am a Jewess: and when this child was born, I spake unto my husband, and entreated of him, that he would get a Moohel to circumcise the babe; and so he brought thee hither."
1828, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, volume II, London: William Harrison Ainsworth, page 349 - proscribedsometimesTo surgically remove the clitoris (clitoridectomy), clitoral hood, or labia.
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Latincircumcīsus
- Old Frenchcircumciser
- Middle Englishcircumcisen
- Englishcircumcise
From Middle English circumcisen, from Old French circumciser (modern French circoncire) and its etymon Latin circumcīsus, the past participle of circumcīdō (“cut around”), from circum (“about, around; through”) + caedō (“cut, hew”).
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek περιτέμνω
- περιτέμνω (peritémnō)to remove the foreskin from the penis
Arabic خَتَنَ
- خَتَنَ (ḵatana)to remove the foreskin from the penis
Bulgarian обрязвам, обрязвам
- обрязвам (obrjazvam)to remove the foreskin from the penis
- обрязвам (obrjazvam)to remove the clitoris or labia
Catalan circumcidar
- circumcidarto remove the foreskin from the penis
Chinese Mandarin 割包皮
- 割包皮 (gē bāopí)to remove the foreskin from the penis
Czech obřezat, obřezávat
- obřezatto remove the foreskin from the penis
- obřezávatto remove the foreskin from the penis
- obřezatto remove the clitoris or labia
Danish omskære, omskære
- omskæreto remove the foreskin from the penis
- omskæreto remove the clitoris or labia
Dutch besnijden
- besnijdento remove the foreskin from the penis
Esperanto cirkumcidi
- cirkumcidito remove the foreskin from the penis
Finnish ympärileikata, ympärileikata
- ympärileikatato remove the foreskin from the penis
- ympärileikatato remove the clitoris or labia
French circoncire
- circoncireto remove the foreskin from the penis
German beschneiden
- beschneidento remove the foreskin from the penis
Greek περιτέμνω
- περιτέμνω (peritémno)to remove the foreskin from the penis
Hebrew מל
- מל (mal)to remove the foreskin from the penis
Hindi ख़तना करना
- ख़तना करना (xatnā karnā)to remove the foreskin from the penis
Hungarian körülmetél, körülmetél
- körülmetélto remove the foreskin from the penis
- körülmetélto remove the clitoris or labia
Icelandic umskera, umskera
- umskerato remove the foreskin from the penis
- umskerato remove the clitoris or labia
Indonesian menyunat, mengkhitan
- menyunatto remove the foreskin from the penis
- mengkhitanto remove the foreskin from the penis
Irish imghearr, timpeallghearr
- imghearrto remove the foreskin from the penis
- timpeallghearrto remove the foreskin from the penis
Italian circoncidere
- circoncidereto remove the foreskin from the penis
Japanese 割礼を行なう
- 割礼を行なう (katsurei o okonau)to remove the foreskin from the penis
Korean 할례를 하다, 할례를 하다
- 할례를 하다 (hallyereul hada)to remove the foreskin from the penis
- 할례를 하다 (hallyereul hada)to remove the clitoris or labia
Latin circumcīdō
- circumcīdōto remove the foreskin from the penis
Lithuanian apipjaustyti
- apipjaustytito remove the foreskin from the penis
Malay mengkhatankan
- mengkhatankanto remove the foreskin from the penis
Māori poka kirimata, kokoti
- poka kirimatato remove the foreskin from the penis
- kokotito remove the foreskin from the penis
Polish obrzezywać, obrzezać
- obrzezywaćto remove the foreskin from the penis
- obrzezaćto remove the foreskin from the penis
- wyrzezywaćto remove the clitoris or labia
- wyrzezaćto remove the clitoris or labia
Portuguese circuncidar
- circuncidarto remove the foreskin from the penis
Romanian circumcide
- circumcideto remove the foreskin from the penis
Russian соверша́ть обреза́ние, соверши́ть обреза́ние
- соверша́ть обреза́ние (soveršátʹ obrezánije)to remove the foreskin from the penis
- соверши́ть обреза́ние (soveršítʹ obrezánije)to remove the foreskin from the penis
- обреза́ть (obrezátʹ)to remove the foreskin from the penis
- обре́зать (obrézatʹ)to remove the foreskin from the penis
Slovak obrezať, obrezávať
- obrezaťto remove the foreskin from the penis
- obrezávaťto remove the foreskin from the penis
- obrezovaťto remove the foreskin from the penis
Spanish circuncidar
- circuncidarto remove the foreskin from the penis
Swedish omskära, omskära
- omskärato remove the foreskin from the penis
- omskärato remove the clitoris or labia
Turkish sünnet etmek, sünnet olmak
- sünnet etmekto remove the foreskin from the penis
- sünnet olmakto remove the foreskin from the penis
Vietnamese cắt bao quy đầu
- cắt bao quy đầuto remove the foreskin from the penis
Welsh enwaedu
- enwaeduto remove the foreskin from the penis
Yiddish ייִדישן
- ייִדישן (yidishn)to remove the foreskin from the penis
Cite this entry
circumcise. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/circumcise
“circumcise.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/circumcise. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “circumcise,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/circumcise.
Source: circumcise on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.