what it means
To amputate is to remove a limb by surgery — and the word has a garden inside it. It is built from to prune, the same word that gives us pruning, with a piece meaning around: to cut around, and take away. That is not an accident of language, it is the logic of the act. You do not amputate because a limb is unimportant. You amputate because it cannot be saved and what remains can — exactly as a gardener cuts to save the tree. The word keeps that weight when it moves. To amputate a department is not to trim it. It is to accept the loss and keep the body.
Amputate es quitar un miembro por cirugía — y dentro de la palabra hay un jardín: está hecha de «podar», la misma raíz de pruning, más «alrededor». No se amputa porque la parte no importe, sino porque ya no puede salvarse y el resto sí, igual que el jardinero corta para salvar el árbol.
Amputate é retirar um membro por cirurgia — e há um jardim dentro da palavra: ela é feita de "podar", a mesma raiz de pruning, mais "em volta". Não se amputa porque a parte não importa, mas porque já não pode ser salva e o resto pode, como o jardineiro que corta para salvar a árvore.
Amputate, c'est retirer un membre par chirurgie — et il y a un jardin dans le mot : il est fait de « tailler », la racine de pruning, plus « autour ». On n'ampute pas parce que le membre n'importe pas, mais parce qu'il ne peut plus être sauvé et que le reste, si — comme le jardinier qui coupe pour sauver l'arbre.
Amputate adalah mengangkat anggota tubuh lewat operasi — dan di dalam katanya ada sebuah kebun: ia dibangun dari "memangkas", akar yang sama dengan pruning, ditambah "sekeliling". Orang tidak mengamputasi karena bagian itu tidak penting, melainkan karena sudah tidak bisa diselamatkan sedangkan sisanya bisa.
Amputate, bir uzvu ameliyatla almaktır — ve kelimenin içinde bir bahçe vardır: pruning'in de kökü olan "budamak" ile "çevresinden" parçasından kurulur. Uzuv önemsiz olduğu için kesilmez; kurtarılamadığı, geri kalanınsa kurtarılabildiği için kesilir — bahçıvanın ağacı kurtarmak için budaması gibi.
amputate は手術で手足を切り離すことですが、この語の中には庭があります。pruning と同じ「剪定する」に「まわりを」が付いた形——まわりから切って、取り去る。その部分がどうでもいいから切るのではありません。もう助けられず、残りは助けられるから切るのです。庭師が木を助けるために切るのと同じ理屈です。
verb
to cut off a limb, usually in surgery
“The surgeons had to amputate below the knee.”
verb
to cut away a whole part of something so the rest survives
“The company amputated its overseas arm and survived the year.”
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Amputate is built from the word that also gives us —
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