the act of cutting off or separating limbs or members from a body, either literally or figuratively.
From Latin 'demembrare' (to dismember), combining 'de-' (off) and 'membrare' (to member, from membrum meaning limb). Used historically in both anatomical and political contexts.
Roman surgeons and Medieval executioners both used this term — it shows how the same word could describe medical amputation or the political 'dismembering' of empires.
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