dismember
verb/ˌdɪsˈmɛmbə(ɹ)/
Etymology From Middle English, from Old French desmembrer, from des- (“de-”) + membre (“limb”) + -er (“verbal suffix”).
1
To remove the limbs of.
- Death by drawing and quartering usually dismembered the condemned person.
2
To cut or otherwise divide something into pieces.
- The killer methodically dismembered the bodies of his victims.
- The American Civil War nearly dismembered the Union.
- Derived terms
- dismemberment, dismemberer