a. [ L. mutilatus, p. p. of mutilare to mutilate, fr. mutilus maimed; cf. Gr. &unr_;, &unr_;. Cf. Mutton. ] 1. Deprived of, or having lost, an important part; mutilated. Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Zool.) Having finlike appendages or flukes instead of legs, as a cetacean. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) A cetacean, or a sirenian. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Mutilated p. pr. & vb. n. Mutilating ] 1. To cut off or remove a limb or essential part of; to maim; to cripple; to disfigure; to hack; as, to mutilate the body, a statue, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To destroy or remove a material part of, so as to render imperfect; as, to mutilate the orations of Cicero. [ 1913 Webster ]

Among the mutilated poets of antiquity, there is none whose fragments are so beautiful as those of Sappho. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

Mutilated gear,
Mutilated wheel (Mach.), a gear wheel from a portion of whose periphery the cogs are omitted. It is used for giving intermittent movements. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. badly injured, perhaps with amputation or permanent disfigurement; as, mutilated victims of the rocket attack.
Syn. -- maimed. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

3. damaged, often deliberately; -- of compositions; as, a mutilated text. Opposite of undamaged or intact.
Syn. -- mangled, mutilated. [ WordNet 1.5 ]