1. performed surgery on a living animal for scientific research or experimentation
Usage: scientific; past tense of vivisect

Examples

• The researchers vivisected laboratory mice to study heart function.
• Animal rights activists protested against animals being vivisected for cosmetic testing.
• The scientist vivisected frogs to examine their nervous systems.
• Medical students once vivisected dogs to learn anatomy.
• The ethics committee questioned whether the animals should be vivisected.
• He vivisected the specimen under sterile conditions.