declaw

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English

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Etymology

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de- +‎ claw

Pronunciation

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Verb

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declaw (third-person singular simple present declaws, present participle declawing, simple past and past participle declawed)

  1. (transitive, veterinary medicine) To surgically remove the claws of (an animal); to perform onychectomy on.
  2. (transitive, figuratively) To make harmless.
    • 2016 January 25, “Why Arabs would regret a toothless Chinese dragon”, in The National, retrieved 25 January 2016:
      If, when the moment arrives, China is unwilling to side with its allies, the Arabs will rapidly find a declawed Chinese dragon unwelcome.
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Anagrams

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