Dictionary

mortal en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ˈmɔɹ.təl/ (General-American)
• (US) audio
• /ˈmɔː.təl/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• [ˈmɔɹ.ɾɫ̩] (General-American)

Etymology

From Middle English mortal, mortel, from Old French mortal, and their source Latin mortālis, from mors (“death”). In this sense, displaced native deadly, from Old English dēadlīċ.

Meanings

1. Susceptible to death by aging, sickness, injury, or wound; not immortal.
2. Causing death; deadly, fatal, killing, lethal (now only of wounds, injuries etc.).
   • Blyndfold he was; and in his cruell fist A mortall bow and arrowes keene did hold […] 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto XI”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
   • into the plain Disgorged at length, the dead and the alive, In one dread mass, were parted, and the stain Of blood from mortal steel fell o’er the fields like rain. 1817 December, Percy Bysshe Shelley, “The Revolt of Islam. […]”, in [Mary] Shelley, editor, The Poetical Works of Percy Bysshe Shelley. […], volume I, London: Edward Moxon […], published 1839, →OCLC, page 263:
3. Punishable by death.
4. Fatally vulnerable.
   • Last of all, against himself he turns his sword, but missing the mortal place, with his poniard finishes the work. 1670, John Milton, “(please specify the page)”, in The History of Britain, that Part Especially now Call’d England. […], London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for James Allestry, […] , →OCLC:
5. Of or relating to the time of death.
   • Safe in the hand of one disposing Power, Or in the natal or the mortal hour. 1733, [Alexander Pope], An Essay on Man. […], (please specify |epistle=I to IV), London: […] J[ohn] Wilford, […], →OCLC:
6. Affecting as if with power to kill; deathly; related to a life-and-death struggle.
   • mortal enemy
   • The nymph grew pale, and in a mortal fright. 1717, John Dryden [et al.], “(please specify |book=I to XV)”, in Ovid’s Metamorphoses in Fifteen Books. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
   • I was in mortal fear lest the captain should repent of his confessions and make an end of me. 1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC:
   • Although the Japanese have engaged with little hesitation, they are as surprised as the Americans to be fighting this battle. Although the escort-carrier groups have been under sporadic air attack for over a week, these attacks appear to have been conducted by aircraft from the Japanese Army, who, of course, have utterly failed to mention any of this to their counterparts-dash-rivals-dash-mortal enemies in the Imperial Japanese Navy. 2019 February 27, Drachinifel, 13:20 from the start, in The Battle of Samar - Odds? What are those?, archived from the original on 03 Nov 2022:
7. Human; belonging or pertaining to people who are mortal.
   • “It's just...I hesitated to call the police. I wasn't sure you'd appreciate their presence.” He sure wouldn't. Mortal scum he could dispatch. Mortal law enforcement he avoided at all costs[…] 2012, Olivia Gates, Immortal, Insatiable, Indomitable, Harlequin, →ISBN:
   • The voice of God To mortal ear is dreadful. 1667, John Milton, “Book X”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
   • mortal wit or knowledge; mortal power
8. Very painful or tedious; wearisome.
   • a sermon lasting two mortal hours
9. (Geordie, Scotland, slang) Very drunk.
   • Thats^([sic]) nothing, says Tequila Sheila, who told how the summer she was housemaid in The Saint Columba she took this guy back to the staff flats while mortal on slammers and crashed out on him before anything could happen. 1995, Alan Warner, Morvern Callar, Vintage, published 2015, page 13:
10. (of a sin) Causing spiritual death (the destruction of charity in the soul) and thus, a disruption of one's relationship with God.
11. (colloquial, dated) An intensifier.
    • "We will do any mortal thing you like, Max, if you will allow Parkinson to administer a bromo-seltzer and then enable me to meet the officials of the Direct Insurance without a blush." 1914, Ernest Bramah, Max Carrados:

Forms

Antonyms

venial (antonym(s) of “causing spiritual death”) · everlasting (antonym(s) of “susceptible to death”) · vital (antonym(s) of “causing death”) · vital (antonym(s) of “of or relating to death”) · immortal (antonym(s) of “susceptible to death”) · natal (antonym(s) of “of or relating to death”)

Deriveds

mortality · mortalism · mortalise · mortalize · mortal sin · shuffle off this mortal coil · mortalist · mortal remains · perimortal · nonmortal · premortal · mortalness · mortally · amortal · mortal coil · mortal combat · postmortal · mortalin

Synonyms

lethal (causing death) · baneful (causing death) · mortalled · fatal (causing death)

Translations (99)

ja 必殺の (causing death; deadly; fatal; killing) · ast mortal (causing death; deadly; fatal; killing) · ga so-mharaithe (susceptible to death) · gl mortal (affecting as if with power to kill) · fi tappava (causing death; deadly; fatal; killing) · ru смерте́льный (causing death; deadly; fatal; killing) · de sterblich (susceptible to death) · hu halálos (susceptible to death) · ja 死すべき (susceptible to death) · chr ᏴᏫ (susceptible to death) · lv nāvējošs (causing death; deadly; fatal; killing) · ast mortal (susceptible to death) · hy մահկանացու (susceptible to death) · grc θνητός (susceptible to death) · tr fani (susceptible to death) · oc (Provence) mortau (susceptible to death) · da dødelig (susceptible to death) · it mortale (causing death; deadly; fatal; killing) · vo deidik (causing death; deadly; fatal; killing) · el θανάσιμος (susceptible to death) · enm dedly (susceptible to death) · la mortifer (causing death; deadly; fatal; killing) · grc βροτός (susceptible to death) · ca mortal (susceptible to death) · nl sterfelijk (susceptible to death) · ro pieritor (susceptible to death) · ru сме́ртный (susceptible to death) · ja 命取りの (causing death; deadly; fatal; killing) · gl mortal (causing death; deadly; fatal; killing) · eo mortema (susceptible to death) · gl mortal (susceptible to death) · el θανάσιμος (causing death; deadly; fatal; killing) · az ölümcül (causing death; deadly; fatal; killing) · sl smrten (susceptible to death) · pt mortal (susceptible to death) · cs smrtící (causing death; deadly; fatal; killing) · it mortale (susceptible to death) · tr ölümlü (susceptible to death) · sh zemnik (susceptible to death) · grc θανάσιμος (causing death; deadly; fatal; killing) · ky өлүмдүү (susceptible to death) · de tödlich (causing death; deadly; fatal; killing) · atv ӧлӱмдӱг (susceptible to death) · az ölümsaçan (causing death; deadly; fatal; killing) · hi नश्वर (susceptible to death) · mk смрто́носен (causing death; deadly; fatal; killing) · fa مردنی (susceptible to death) · fa میرا (susceptible to death) · ro mortal (susceptible to death) · ca mortal (causing death; deadly; fatal; killing) · ang dēadlīċ (causing death; deadly; fatal; killing) · ja 致死の (causing death; deadly; fatal; killing) · uk сме́ртний (susceptible to death) · ka მოკვდავი (susceptible to death) · la letalis (causing death; deadly; fatal; killing) · ro muritor (susceptible to death) · es mortal (susceptible to death) · bg смъртен (susceptible to death) · ba бәндә (susceptible to death) · cmn 致命 (causing death; deadly; fatal; killing) · el θανάσιμος (affecting as if with power to kill) · fr mortel (susceptible to death) · tl palana (susceptible to death) · mk смр́тен (susceptible to death) · cmn 不免一死 (susceptible to death) · is dauðlegur (susceptible to death) · alt ӧлӱмдӱ (susceptible to death) · vo deidölik (causing death; deadly; fatal; killing) · sv dödlig (causing death; deadly; fatal; killing) · el θνητός (susceptible to death) · nl dodelijk (causing death; deadly; fatal; killing) · yi שטערבליך (susceptible to death) · lv nāvīgs (causing death; deadly; fatal; killing) · sv dödlig (susceptible to death) · gl mortífero (causing death; deadly; fatal; killing) · vi có chết (susceptible to death) · cmn 必死的 (susceptible to death) · hi घातक (causing death; deadly; fatal; killing) · he בֶּן תְּמוּתָה (susceptible to death) · la mortālis (susceptible to death) · vo deadöfik (susceptible to death) · pt mortal (causing death; deadly; fatal; killing) · ga básmhar (susceptible to death) · hi प्राणघातक (causing death; deadly; fatal; killing) · pl śmiertelny (susceptible to death) · lv mirstīgs (susceptible to death) · ja 不倶戴天の (affecting as if with power to kill) · la letalis (affecting as if with power to kill) · es mortal (causing death; deadly; fatal; killing) · hy մահացու (causing death; deadly; fatal; killing) · fr mortel (causing death; deadly; fatal; killing) · ang dēadlīċ (susceptible to death) · fi kuolevainen (susceptible to death) · be смяро́тны (susceptible to death) · sh smrtan (susceptible to death) · ja 必滅の (susceptible to death) · hy մահաբեր (causing death; deadly; fatal; killing) · bg смъртоносен (causing death; deadly; fatal; killing) · cs smrtelný (susceptible to death)

mortal en · ADV

Pronunciation

• /ˈmɔɹ.təl/ (General-American)
• (US) audio
• /ˈmɔː.təl/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• [ˈmɔɹ.ɾɫ̩] (General-American)

Etymology

From Middle English mortal, mortel, from Old French mortal, and their source Latin mortālis, from mors (“death”). In this sense, displaced native deadly, from Old English dēadlīċ.

Meanings

1. (colloquial, not-comparable) Mortally; enough to cause death.
   • It's mortal cold out there.

mortal en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈmɔɹ.təl/ (General-American)
• (US) audio
• /ˈmɔː.təl/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• [ˈmɔɹ.ɾɫ̩] (General-American)

Etymology

From Middle English mortal, mortel, from Old French mortal, and their source Latin mortālis, from mors (“death”). In this sense, displaced native deadly, from Old English dēadlīċ.

Meanings

1. A human; someone susceptible to death.
   • Lord what fools these mortals be! c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “A Midsommer Nights Dreame”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):
   • Her wisdom was beyond that of a mere mortal.
   • But then I had the flintlock by me for protection. There were giants in the days when that gun was made; for surely no modern mortal could have held that mass of metal steady to his shoulder. The linen-press and a chest on the top of it formed, however, a very good gun-carriage; and, thus mounted, aim could be taken out of the window[…]. 1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter 1, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC:

Forms

Antonyms

immortal

Deriveds

mere mortal · lesser mortal

Relateds

moribund

Translations (46)

vo hideadöfan (human; someone susceptible to death) · ky өлүмдүү (human; someone susceptible to death) · vo deadöfan (human; someone susceptible to death) · mk смр́тница (human; someone susceptible to death) · sl smrtnik (human; someone susceptible to death) · tl palana (human; someone susceptible to death) · tr ölümlü (human; someone susceptible to death) · sw mfaji (human; someone susceptible to death) · de Sterbliche (human; someone susceptible to death) · fr mortel (human; someone susceptible to death) · fi kuolevainen (human; someone susceptible to death) · hy մահկանացու (human; someone susceptible to death) · vo jideadöfan (human; someone susceptible to death) · pt mortal (human; someone susceptible to death) · tl taong palana (human; someone susceptible to death) · sh smȑtnīk (human; someone susceptible to death) · grc θνητός (human; someone susceptible to death) · ka მოკვდავი (human; someone susceptible to death) · fr mortelle (human; someone susceptible to death) · grc βροτός (human; someone susceptible to death) · lv mirstīgais (human; someone susceptible to death) · mk смр́тник (human; someone susceptible to death) · eo mortemulo (human; someone susceptible to death) · sh smȑtnica (human; someone susceptible to death) · cs smrtelník (human; someone susceptible to death) · bg простосмъртен (human; someone susceptible to death) · hi नश्वर (human; someone susceptible to death) · tr fani (human; someone susceptible to death) · gl mortal (human; someone susceptible to death) · cmn 凡人 (human; someone susceptible to death) · vi phàm phu (human; someone susceptible to death) · ru сме́ртная (human; someone susceptible to death) · vi nhân gian (human; someone susceptible to death) · es mortal (human; someone susceptible to death) · lv mirstīgā (human; someone susceptible to death) · el θνητός (human; someone susceptible to death) · vi phàm nhân (human; someone susceptible to death) · nl sterveling (human; someone susceptible to death) · pl śmiertelnik (human; someone susceptible to death) · ca mortal (human; someone susceptible to death) · ru сме́ртный (human; someone susceptible to death) · ja 人間 (human; someone susceptible to death) · csb smiertelnik (human; someone susceptible to death) · de Sterblicher (human; someone susceptible to death) · bg смъртен (human; someone susceptible to death) · hu halandó (human; someone susceptible to death)