外博词典，懂英语单词快速记忆法的在线英语词典

词源

mortal （总有一死的）：罗马神话的死神墨尔斯

在罗马神话中，死神叫做墨尓斯（Mors），对应于古希腊神话中的桑纳托斯（Thanatos）。在西方文化中，墨尓斯常被描绘为身着黑色长袍，手持长柄镰刀，用来砍倒将死之人。

从墨尓斯的名字Mors中产生了英语词根mort，表示死亡。

mortal 终有一死的；致命的

来源于古印欧语mor-，mr-(死，也是英语murder的词源)在拉丁语中的派生词mortalis(adj.死)。

词根词缀：-mort-死 + -al形容词后缀

同源词：murder

mortal 死亡的，致命的，终有一死的，凡人

来自拉丁语mors，死亡，词源同murder，morbid.引申词义死亡的，终有一死的，后该词用于指凡人。比较immortal.

late 14c., "deadly, destructive to life; causing or threatening death" (of illness, poisons, wounds, etc.); also, of persons or the body, "doomed to die, subject to death;" from Old French mortel "destined to die; deserving of death" and directly from Latin mortalis "subject to death, mortal, of a mortal, human," from mors (genitive mortis) "death."

This is reconstructed to be from PIE *mr-o- "to die," *mr-to- "dead," *mr-ti- "death," all from PIE root *mer- "to rub away, harm" (also "to die" and forming words referring to death and to beings subject to death). The most widespread Indo-European root for "to die," it forms the common word for it except in Greek and Germanic.

"Subject to death," hence "human, of or pertaining to humans" (early 15c.). Also from late 14c. as "implacable, to be satisfied only by death" (of hatreds, enemies, etc.). Meaning "extreme, very great" is from late 14c. A mortal sin (early 15c., opposed to venial) is one that incurs the penalty of spiritual death.

mortal (n.)

1520s, "mortal thing or substance;" 1560s, "a human being" (as subject to death); from mortal (adj.). Latin mortalis also was used as a noun, "a man, mortal, human being."