decapitar
1. to cut off the head of a person or animal
The executioner was ordered to behead the prisoner.
O executor foi ordenado a decapitar o prisioneiro.
2. to remove the head from something
You need to behead the fish before cooking it.
Você precisa decapitar o peixe antes de cozinhá-lo.
While 'behead' is primarily a historical or formal term in modern English, it appears frequently in historical texts, fantasy literature, and discussions of capital punishment. In Portuguese, 'decapitar' carries the same formal weight and is commonly found in historical accounts and literature. The word has become somewhat archaic in everyday usage in both languages, though it remains relevant in historical, legal, and fictional contexts.
Related Idioms & Phrases
behead a movement (figuratively: to eliminate leadership)
lose one's head (unrelated idiom meaning to lose control)
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