dismember
Divide into pieces
To dismember is to cut or tear the limbs from a body, or more broadly, to divide something into pieces: The killer dismembered the corpse.
The word extends to separating parts from any whole: The empire was dismembered after the war.
The violence of the literal sense colors figurative uses.
Cut apart completely
- amputateSurgically remove a limb
- mutilateInflict severe bodily harm
- decapitateRemove someone's head
- eviscerateRemove internal organs
quarter · disembowel · hack · butcher · carve up · maim · dissect · vivisect
sever
Cut apart completely
- amputateSurgically remove a limb
- mutilateInflict severe bodily harm
- decapitateRemove someone's head
eviscerate · quarter · disembowel · hack · butcher · carve up · maim · dissect · vivisect · hew
dismantle
Separate into parts
fragment · divide · split up · carve up · deconstruct · subdivide · disintegrate · fracture · splinter · balkanize
dismemberreassemble
Restore to original form
put together · reattach · assemble · reconstruct · join
dismemberassemble
Join parts together
unify · unite · join · piece together · put together
dismemberment, dismembered, dismembering, dismembers, dismemberings