Definition

1. Verb:
   • To remove the ovaries of a female mammal, such as a cat, thereby eliminating its capacity for reproduction and reducing certain female sexual characteristics.

Usage

• This is a technical term used primarily in veterinary medicine and animal husbandry.
• It specifically describes a surgical procedure.
• The term focuses on the removal of reproductive organs (ovaries) rather than general sterilization.

Examples

• Verb:
  • The veterinarian will defeminize the feral cat to control the population.
  • Defeminizing female animals is a common practice in managed breeding programs.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in scientific or clinical contexts discussing reproductive biology, population control, or the physiological effects of removing ovaries.
• It implies a specific biological change, not just a general neutering.

Variants and Related Words

• Defeminise (verb): British English spelling variant.
• Spay (verb): A more common and general synonym meaning to sterilize a female animal by removing its ovaries.
• Ovariectomy (noun): The surgical removal of an ovary or ovaries; the procedure itself.
• Alter (verb): A common, less technical term for sterilizing a pet.

Synonyms

• Spay
• Sterilize (in the specific context of female animals)
• Neuter (when specified for a female)
• Geld (archaic or specific to certain animals)

Notes on Meaning

• The core meaning is strictly biological and surgical.
• It does not carry the sociological or psychological connotations sometimes associated with the root word "feminine." The action is performed on animals, not humans, in standard usage.
• The result is the cessation of estrus cycles and the ability to bear young.

Verb

1. remove the ovaries of (female mammals such as cats)