Adjacent Words

Mortal definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

MOR'TAL, a. [L. mortalis, from mors, death, or morior, to die, that is, to fall.]
1. Subject to death; destined to die. Man is mortal.
2. Deadly; destructive to life; causing death, or that must cause death; as a mortal wound; mortal poison.
The fruit
Of that forbidden tree whose mortal taste
Brought death into the world, and all our woe--
3. Bringing death; terminating life.
Safe in the hand of one disposing power,
Or in the natal or the mortal hour.
4. Deadly in malice or purpose; as a mortal foe. In colloquial language, a mortal foe is an inveterate foe.
5. Exposing to certain death; incurring the penalty of death; condemned to be punished with death; not venial; as a mortal sin.
6. Human; belonging to man who is mortal; as mortal wit or knowledge; mortal power.
The voice of God
To mortal ear is dreadful.
7. Extreme; violent. [Not elegant.]
The nymph grew pale, and in a mortal fright--
MOR'TAL, n. Man; a being subject to death; a human being.
Warn poor mortals left behind.
It is often used in ludicrous and colloquial language.
I can behold no mortal now.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: subject to death; "mortal beings" [ant: immortal]
2: involving loss of divine grace or spiritual death; "the seven deadly sins" [syn: deadly, mortal]
3: unrelenting and deadly; "mortal enemy"
4: causing or capable of causing death; "a fatal accident"; "a deadly enemy"; "mortal combat"; "a mortal illness" [syn: deadly, deathly, mortal] n
1: a human being; "there was too much for one person to do" [syn: person, individual, someone, somebody, mortal, soul]

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French mortel, mortal, from Latin mortalis, from mort-, mors death — more at murder Date: 14th century 1. causing or having caused death ; fatal <a mortal injury> 2. a. subject to death <mortal man> b. possible, conceivable <have done every mortal thing> c. deadly 3 <waited three mortal hours> 3. marked by unrelenting hostility <a mortal enemy> 4. marked by great intensity or severity <mortal fear> 5. human <mortal limits> 6. of, relating to, or connected with death <mortal agony> Synonyms: see deadly II. adverb Date: 15th century chiefly dialect mortally III. noun Date: 1567 a human being

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. & n. --adj. 1 (of a living being, esp. a human) subject to death. 2 (often foll. by to) causing death; fatal. 3 (of a battle) fought to the death. 4 associated with death (mortal agony). 5 (of an enemy) implacable. 6 (of pain, fear, an affront, etc.) intense, very serious. 7 colloq. a very great (in a mortal hurry). b long and tedious (for two mortal hours). 8 colloq. conceivable, imaginable (every mortal thing; of no mortal use). --n. 1 a mortal being, esp. a human. 2 joc. a person described in some specified way (a thirsty mortal). Phrases and idioms: mortal sin Theol. a grave sin that is regarded as depriving the soul of divine grace. Derivatives: mortally adv. Etymology: ME f. OF mortal, mortel or L mortalis f. mors mortis death

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Mortal Mor"tal, a. [F. mortel, L. mortalis, from mors, mortis, death, fr. moriri 8die; akin to E. murder. See Murder, and cf. Filemot, Mere a lake, Mortgage.] 1. Subject to death; destined to die; as, man is mortal. 2. Destructive to life; causing or occasioning death; terminating life; exposing to or deserving death; deadly; as, a mortal wound; a mortal sin. 3. Fatally vulnerable; vital. Last of all, against himself he turns his sword, but missing the mortal place, with his poniard finishes the work. --Milton. 4. Of or pertaining to the time of death. Safe in the hand of one disposing Power, Or in the natal or the mortal hour. --Pope. 5. Affecting as if with power to kill; deathly. The nymph grew pale, and in a mortal fright. --Dryden. 6. Human; belonging to man, who is mortal; as, mortal wit or knowledge; mortal power. The voice of God To mortal ear is dreadful. --Milton. 7. Very painful or tedious; wearisome; as, a sermon lasting two mortal hours. [Colloq.] --Sir W. Scott. Mortal foe, Mortal enemy, an inveterate, desperate, or implacable enemy; a foe bent on one's destruction.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Mortal Mor"tal, n. A being subject to death; a human being; man. ``Warn poor mortals left behind.'' --Tickell.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Sin Sin, n. [OE. sinne, AS. synn, syn; akin to D. zonde, OS. sundia, OHG. sunta, G. s["u]nde, Icel., Dan. & Sw. synd, L. sons, sontis, guilty, perhaps originally from the p. pr. of the verb signifying, to be, and meaning, the one who it is. Cf. Authentic, Sooth.] 1. Transgression of the law of God; disobedience of the divine command; any violation of God's will, either in purpose or conduct; moral deficiency in the character; iniquity; as, sins of omission and sins of commission. Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. --John viii. 34. Sin is the transgression of the law. --1 John iii. 4. I think 't no sin. To cozen him that would unjustly win. --Shak. Enthralled By sin to foul, exorbitant desires. --Milton. 2. An offense, in general; a violation of propriety; a misdemeanor; as, a sin against good manners. I grant that poetry's a crying sin. --Pope. 3. A sin offering; a sacrifice for sin. He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin. --2 Cor. v. 21. 4. An embodiment of sin; a very wicked person. [R.] Thy ambition, Thou scarlet sin, robbed this bewailing land Of noble Buckingham. --Shak. Note: Sin is used in the formation of some compound words of obvious signification; as, sin-born; sin-bred, sin-oppressed, sin-polluted, and the like. Actual sin, Canonical sins, Original sin, Venial sin. See under Actual, Canonical, etc. Deadly, or Mortal, sins (R. C. Ch.), willful and deliberate transgressions, which take away divine grace; -- in distinction from vental sins. The seven deadly sins are pride, covetousness, lust, wrath, gluttony, envy, and sloth. Sin eater, a man who (according to a former practice in England) for a small gratuity ate a piece of bread laid on the chest of a dead person, whereby he was supposed to have taken the sins of the dead person upon himself. Sin offering, a sacrifice for sin; something offered as an expiation for sin. Syn: Iniquity; wickedness; wrong. See Crime.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(mortals) 1. If you refer to the fact that people are mortal, you mean that they have to die and cannot live for ever. A man is deliberately designed to be mortal. He grows, he ages, and he dies. ? immortal ADJ • mortality She has suddenly come face to face with her own mortality. N-UNCOUNT: usu poss N 2. You can describe someone as a mortal when you want to say that they are an ordinary person. Tickets seem unobtainable to the ordinary mortal. = human N-COUNT 3. You can use mortal to show that something is very serious or may cause death. The police were defending themselves and others against mortal danger... ADJ: ADJ n • mortally He falls, mortally wounded. ADV: usu ADV -ed/adj/adv 4. You can use mortal to emphasize that a feeling is extremely great or severe. When self-esteem is high, we lose our mortal fear of jealousy. ADJ: ADJ n [emphasis] • mortally Candida admits to having been 'mortally embarrassed'. ADV: ADV -ed/adj/adv

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. a. 1. Subject to death, destined to die. 2. Deadly, fatal, destructive, mortiferous. 3. Vital, admitting death. 4. Final, death-bringing. 5. Human, of man. 6. (Colloq.) Extreme, immoderate, excessive, violent, vexing, tormenting. 7. (Colloq.) Long, tedious, wearisome. II. ad. (Colloq.) Extremely, excessively, very deadly. III. n. Man, human being.

Moby Thesaurus

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