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Glite Dictionary
to unsex

to unsex

1 9.9
To remove sexual parts or qualities from a living thing
  • verb
  • /ʌnˈsɛks/
  • Archaic
translation icon : desexualizar
  • The character in the play begs the witches to unsex him so that he can pursue power without hesitation.
  • Unsex me here

Examples

  • Understanding the struggle for power, she cried out to be unsexed, hoping to abandon her feminine traits.

  • Unsex me!"

    Kate & Leopold (2001)

  • Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty.

    Macbeth (2015)

  • Unsex me here… and fill me from the crown to the toe top full of direst cruelty.

    Macbeth (1971)

  • In her desperate plea, she asked the spirits to unsex her, wishing to lose any trace of compassion.

Synonyms

to desexualize
vsto unsex
  • US
1 9.2

To remove sexual meaning from people or objects

removes sexual characteristics or gendered qualities rather than desires

Surface Forms

unsex infinitive
unsexing present participle
unsexes third person singular
unsexed past
unsexed past participle

Morphology

unsex = sex (transparent) = un + sex

The prefix 'un-' is clearly used to indicate removal or reversal of the characteristics associated with 'sex'.

Etymology

Unsex comes from the prefix un-, like in unhappy, meaning 'not', and sex meaning 'male or female'. So to unsex someone is to take away qualities connected to their sex. That is why the word is used for medical or animal procedures and why Lady Macbeth asks the spirits to unsex her in the play.