Where does “mortality” come from?
Mortality derives from Old French mortalite, from Latin mortalitas (quality of being subject to death), based on Latin mortalis (subject to death), from Latin mors (death), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European mer- (to die).
mortality (English): The state or quality of being mortal; The number...
Definitions
- The state or quality of being mortal; The number...
Ancestry of “mortality”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | mortalité | death |
| 2 | Latin | mortalitas | mortality |
| 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 |