death (d th)n.1. The act of dying; termination of life. 2. The state of being dead. 3. The cause of dying: Drugs were the death of him. 4. A manner of dying: a heroine's death. 5. often Death A personification of the destroyer of life, usually represented as a skeleton holding a scythe. 6. a. Bloodshed; murder. b. Execution. 7. Law Civil death. 8. The termination or extinction of something: the death of imperialism. Idioms: at death's door Near to death; gravely ill or injured. be the death of To distress or irritate to an intolerable degree. death on Opposed to or strict about: Our boss is death on casual dressing. to death To an intolerable degree; extremely: worried to death.
[Middle English deeth, from Old English d ath; see dheu-2 in Indo-European roots.] |
death Noun
1. the permanent end of life in a person or animal
2. an instance of this: his sudden death
3. ending or destruction
4. at death's door likely to die soon
5. catch one's death (of cold) Informal to contract a severe cold
6. like death warmed up Informal looking or feeling very ill or very tired
7. put to death to execute
8.
to death a. until dead
b. very much: I had probably scared him to death [Old English dēath]
death (d th) The end of life of an organism or cell. In humans and animals, death is manifested by the permanent cessation of vital organic functions, including the absence of heartbeat, spontaneous breathing, and brain activity. Cells die as a result of external injury or by an orderly, programmed series of self-destructive events known as apoptosis. The most common causes of death for humans in well-developed countries are cardiovascular disease, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, certain chronic diseases such as diabetes and emphysema, lung infections, and accidents. See also brain death. |
Deathan obsession with suicide.
the cloth or clothing in which the dead are wrapped for burial or other form of funeral.
a place where the cremated remains of the dead are stored. — cinerary, adj.
a vault where the remains of cremated bodies are kept, usually in one of a number of recesses in a wall.
a place where cremations are done.
1. an inscription on a monument, as on a gravestone.
2. a short piece of prose or verse written in honor of a dead person. — epitaphial, epitaphian, epitaphic, adj.
the deliberate killing of painfully ill or terminally ill people to put them out of their misery. Also called mercy killing.
the science of putting people to death.
1. the state or quality of being on the verge of death.
2. close to extinction or stagnant. — moribund, adj.
an improvised funeral song, composed for the dead and sung by women in modern Greece. — myriologist, n. — myriologic, myriological, adj.
the worship of the dead.
1. an announcement of death; obituary.
2. a list of persons who have died within a certain time. Also necrologue. — necrologist, n.
1. the magie practiced by a witch or sorcerer.
2. a form of divination through communication with the dead; the black art. Also nigromancy. — necromancer, necromant, nigromancien, n. — necromantie, adj.
an obsession with death or the dead.
an abnormal condition in which a person believes himself dead.
an abnormal, often sexual attraction toward the dead or a dead body. — necrophile, n.
an abnormal fear of death. Also called thanatophobia.
the death or decay of body tissue, the result of loss of blood supply or trauma. — necrotic, adj.
Rare. any learning that pertains to the dead.
a place or receptacle for the bones of the dead. Also called ossuary.
an excessive interest in graves and cemeteries.
resembling death; deathly.
the study of death or the dead. Also thanatism. — thanatological, adj.
an obsession with death. See also necromania.
necrophobia.
a survey of or meditation upon death.
the Eucharist given to one about to die; last rites or extreme unction. — viatic, viatical, adj.
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. | death - the event of dying or departure from life; "her death came as a terrible shock"; "upon your decease the capital will pass to your grandchildren"alteration, change, modification - an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another; "the change was intended to increase sales"; "this storm is certainly a change for the worse"; "the neighborhood had undergone few modifications since his last visit years ago" fatality, human death - a death resulting from an accident or a disaster; "a decrease in the number of automobile fatalities" martyrdom - death that is imposed because of the person's adherence of a religious faith or cause megadeath - the death of a million people; "they calibrate the effects of atom bombs in megadeaths" wrongful death - a death that results from a wrongful act or from negligence; a death that can serve as the basis for a civil action for damages on behalf of the dead person's family or heirs |
| 2. | death - the permanent end of all life functions in an organism or part of an organism; "the animal died a painful death"cell death, necrobiosis - (physiology) the normal degeneration and death of living cells (as in various epithelial cells) brain death, cerebral death - death when respiration and other reflexes are absent; consciousness is gone; organs can be removed for transplantation before the heartbeat stops |
| 3. | death - the absence of life or state of being dead; "he seemed more content in death than he had ever been in life"state - the way something is with respect to its main attributes; "the current state of knowledge"; "his state of health"; "in a weak financial state" eternal rest, eternal sleep, quietus, sleep, rest - euphemisms for death (based on an analogy between lying in a bed and in a tomb); "she was laid to rest beside her husband"; "they had to put their family pet to sleep" neonatal death - death of a liveborn infant within the first 28 days of life |
| 4. | death - the time when something ends; "it was the death of all his plans"; "a dying of old hopes"life-time, lifespan, lifetime, life - the period during which something is functional (as between birth and death); "the battery had a short life"; "he lived a long and happy life" grave - death of a person; "he went to his grave without forgiving me"; "from cradle to grave" end, ending - the point in time at which something ends; "the end of the year"; "the ending of warranty period" birth - the time when something begins (especially life); "they divorced after the birth of the child"; "his election signaled the birth of a new age" |
| 5. | death - the time at which life ends; continuing until dead; "she stayed until his death"; "a struggle to the last"end, ending - the point in time at which something ends; "the end of the year"; "the ending of warranty period" |
| 6. | Death - the personification of death; "Death walked the streets of the plague-bound city" |
| 7. | death - a final state; "he came to a bad end"; "the so-called glorious experiment came to an inglorious end"state - the way something is with respect to its main attributes; "the current state of knowledge"; "his state of health"; "in a weak financial state" |
| 8. | death - the act of killing; "he had two deaths on his conscience" |
death noun 1.
dying,
demise,
bereavement,
end,
passing,
release,
loss,
departure,
curtains (
informal)
cessation,
expiration,
decease,
quietus << OPPOSITE
birth noun 2.
destruction,
ending,
finish,
ruin, wiping out,
undoing,
extinction,
elimination,
downfall,
extermination,
annihilation,
obliteration,
ruination << OPPOSITE
beginning noun 3. (sometimes capital) the Grim Reaper, the Dark Angel >> adjectives fatal, lethal, mortal
Translations
death [dɛθ] n →
muerte f
death [dɛθ] n →
mort f;
death [dɛθ] n →
Tod m;
death [dɛθ] n →
morte f;