Emasculation

Emasculation is the removal of the genitalia of a male, notably the penis and/or the testicles, by surgery, violence, or accident (see castration).

Historically, it has been reported that armies emasculated the bodies of enemy warriors to humiliate and dispair them, to seize their power and to make them impossible to reproduce. Often foreskins, penises, scrotums or all were collected to count the dead after battles. See also penis removal.

By extension, the word has also come to mean “to socially render a male less of a man,” or “to make a male feel himself to be less of a man by subjecting him to humiliation.” This metaphorical usage of the word is much more common than the application of its literal meaning. It can also mean the reduction or removal of force behind a statute or legislation, e.g. "the Triennial Act was emasculated by the Cavalier Parliament".

The removal of male (pollen) parts of a plant, largely for controlled pollenation and breeding purposes is also called emasculation.

See also

• Castration anxiety
• Masculinity