 This might be done to take the head as a trophy, for public display, to make the deceased more difficult to identify, for cryonics, or for other, more esoteric reasons.The word decapitation has its roots in the Late Latin word "decapitare".The meaning of the word "decapitare" can be discerned from its morphemes "de-" (down, from) + "capit-" (head).