Where does “mortal” come from?
Mortal comes from Middle English mortel, from Latin mortalis, derived from Latin mors meaning death, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European mer- meaning to die.
mortal (English): Susceptible to death by aging, sickness, injury,...
Definitions
- Susceptible to death by aging, sickness, injury,...
Ancestry of “mortal”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | mortal | — |
| 2 | Old French | mortal | — |
| 3 | Latin | mortālis | — |
| 4 | Latin | mors | death; corpse; annihilation |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | mortis | death |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | mértis | death |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | mer- | to die; to disappear; sea, lake, wetland |
Words derived from “mortal”