A.Word.A.Day --moribund

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Today's Word

moribund

PRONUNCIATION:

(MOR-uh-buhnd)

MEANING:

adjective:
1. Nearing death.
2. Stagnant; lacking vigor or vitality.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Latin moribundus (dying), from mori (to die). Ultimately from the Indo-European root mer- (to rub away or to harm), which also gave us morse, mordant, amaranth, morbid, mortal, mortgage, nightmare, premorse, morbidezza, ambrosia, and amaranthine. Earliest documented use: 1721.

USAGE:

“But even as all things are dying, one event can steer
The moribund toward more abundant cheer.”
Roy Zimmerman; Christma-Hanu-Rama-Ka-Dona-Kwanzaa; 2006.
(lyrics; video, 2.5 min)

See more usage examples of moribund in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

When old words die out on the tongue, new melodies break forth from the heart; and where the old tracks are lost, new country is revealed with its wonders. -Rabindranath Tagore, poet, philosopher, author, songwriter, painter, educator, composer, Nobel laureate (7 May 1861-1941)

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