mutilate

/ˈmyü-tə-ˌlāt/

Latin mutilatus, past participle of mutilare, from mutilus truncated, maimed

verb

  1. to cut up or alter radically so as to make imperfect

  2. to cut off or cause severe damage to a limb or essential part of

The child mutilated the book with his scissors.

maim mutilate mangle mean to injure so severely as to cause lasting damage. maim implies the loss or injury of a body part. mutilate implies the cutting off or removal of an essential part of a person or thing thereby impairing its completeness, beauty, or function.

noun

  1. the act of inflicting injury or disfigurement to one's own body; specifically : the act of purposely hurting oneself (as by cutting or burning the skin) as an emotional coping mechanism : self-harm

The original wound reopened and became dangerously infected, and yet this classic display of canine self-mutilation continued.