Dictionary

lethal en · ADJ · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• /ˈliː.θəl/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin lētālis (“deadly, mortal, fatal”), improperly written lēthālis, from lētum (“death”), improperly written as lēthum, from a supposed connection with Ancient Greek λήθη (lḗthē, “oblivion, forgetfulness”).

Meanings

1. Of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal.
   • Whether modern, industrial man is less or more warlike than his hunter-gatherer ancestors is impossible to determine. The machine gun is so much more lethal than the bow and arrow that comparisons are meaningless. 2013 July 20, “Old soldiers?”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845:

Forms

Deriveds

lethal white syndrome · lethal chamber · less-than-lethal · unlethal · lethally · sub-lethal · haplolethal · non-lethal · hyperlethal · lethal yellowing · lethal congenital contracture syndrome · lethal zone · less-lethal · nonlethal · superlethal · lethality · cytolethal · lethalness · lethal allele · supralethal · lethal gene · lethal time · coat color dilution lethal · ultralethal · semilethal · triplolethal · sublethal · lethal injection · colethal · semi-lethal · lethal dose

Relateds

sublethality · sublethally · semilethality · nonlethality

Translations (69)

ru лета́льный (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · ru смерте́льный (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · sh смрто̀носан (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · sk smrtiaci (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · nl dodelijk (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · cmn 致死的 (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · la lētālis (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · sk smrtonosný (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · fr létal (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · cs smrtonosný (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · fi kuolettava (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · ka ლეტალური (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · la mortifer (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · ka სასიკვდილო (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · ko 치사의 (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · pt fatal (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · ka მომაკვდინებელი (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · ar مُمِيت (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · sh smrtònosan (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · ja 致命的な (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · ca letal (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · ca mortal (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · uk смертоно́сний (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · fr mortel (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · eo mortiga (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · fi letaali (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · ja 必殺の (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · id letal (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · sl smrten (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · uk смерте́льний (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · be смертано́сны (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · la mortiferus (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · sh smȑtan (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · ja 致死の (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · ru смертоно́сный (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · ga marfach (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · la lēthālis (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · cs smrtící (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · nl letaal (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · fr léthal (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · sv livsfarlig (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · mk смртен (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · el φονικός (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · pt mortal (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · de letal (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · be лета́льны (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · bg смъртоно́сен (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · fi tappava (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · pl śmiertelny (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · cs smrtelný (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · pt letal (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · el θανατηφόρος (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · cmn 致命的 (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · uk лета́льний (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · es letal (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · sl smrtonosen (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · sv dödlig (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · fr fatal (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · grc θανάσιμος (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · sk smrteľný (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · bg смъ́ртен (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · ko 치명적인 (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · de tödlich (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · sh смр̏тан (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · bg лета́лен (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · pl śmiercionośny (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · it letale (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · pl letalny (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal) · be смяро́тны (of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal)

lethal en · NOUN · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• /ˈliː.θəl/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin lētālis (“deadly, mortal, fatal”), improperly written lēthālis, from lētum (“death”), improperly written as lēthum, from a supposed connection with Ancient Greek λήθη (lḗthē, “oblivion, forgetfulness”).

Meanings

1. Any weapon that causes death.
2. An allele that causes the death of the organism that carries it.

Forms

Antonyms

non-lethal

lethal en · NOUN · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• /ˈliː.θəl/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Abbreviation of “lauric acid ethereal salt”, so called because it occurs in the ethereal salt of lauric acid.

Meanings

1. (uncountable) One of the higher alcohols of the paraffine series obtained from spermaceti as a white crystalline solid.