mŏrĭor, mortŭus, 3 (fut. part. moriturus, a, um, Cic. Arch. 12, 30; id. Div. 2, 25, 54; 2, 47, 99; Liv. 21, 12, 4; Verg. A. 4, 308; id. ib. 2, 511 et saep.; old forms acc. to the fourth conj.: si vivimu’ sive morīmur, Enn. ap. Prisc. p. 830 P.; Ann. v. 384 Vahl.; inf. moriri, Plaut. As. 1, 1, 108; id. Capt. 3, 5, 54; id. Rud. 3, 3, 12; id. Ps. 4, 7, 124 Ritschl N. cr.; Ov. M. 14, 215), v. dep. [Sanscr. root mar-, die; Gr. μορ- (μρο-, βρο-), μαρ; βροτός, μαραίνω; cf.: morbus, marceo], to die (cf.: pereo, intereo, occĭdo, occumbo, obeo, exspiro; class.).
- I. Lit.: vivam an moriar, Enn. ap. Paul. ex Fest. s. v. metus, p. 123 Müll. (Trag. v. 179 Vahl.): ego cum genui, tum morituros scivi, Enn. ap. Cic. Tusc. 3, 13, 28 (Trag. v. 361 Vahl.): mori, Plaut. Bacch. 3, 4, 24: atque eundem (L. Tarquinium) … accepimus mortuum esse, cum duodequadraginta regnavisset annos, Cic. Rep. 2, 20, 36: moriendum certe est, id. Sen. 20, 74: desiderio, of desire, id. Att. 1, 3, 1: ut fame senatores quinque morerentur, id. ib. 6, 1, 6: me esse homines mortuom dicant fame, Plaut. Stich. 4, 2, 57; so, fame, Sen. Contr. 1, 1, 3; 1, 7, 8: fame et siti, Liv. 7, 35, 8: siti, id. 4, 30, 8; Petr. 10; Pomp. ap. Gell. 10, 24, 5: vigilando, Juv. 3, 232: ex vulnere, of a wound, Pollio ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 33, 4: in tormentis, Liv. 40, 23: alterius amore, Ov. Am. 2, 7, 10: curis, Tib. 2, 7, 33 (6, 51): fame, Petr. 10: inediā, Plin. 14, 13, 14, § 89: significabat interruptis atque morientibus vocibus, dying accents, the accents of a dying man, Cic. Cael. 24, 59: mori videbamus in studio dimetiundi paene caeli atque terrae C. Galum, spend his whole life in, id. Sen. 14, 49: cum te complexā morientem, Galle, puellā Vidimus, desperately in love, dying for love, Prop. 1, 10, 5: ei mihi, si quis, Acrius ut moriar, venerit alter amor, id. 2, 4, 1 sq.: moriar, si, may I die, if, etc., Cic. Att. 8, 6, 4.
- II. Transf., of things, to die away, decay, to wither away, pass away, to vanish, lose its strength, etc.; of members of the body: id quod supra vinculum est, moritur, loses its vitality, Cels. 7, 14.
Of plants: rutam et hederas illico mori, die away, perish, Plin. 28, 7, 23, § 78: moriturque ad sibila campus, Stat. Th. 5, 528.
Of fire: flammas vidi nullo concutiente mori, die out, go out, Ov. Am. 1, 2, 11; of comets: donec in exiguum moriens vanesceret ignem, Claud. B. Get. 248: unguenta moriuntur, lose their strength, Plin. 13, 3, 4, § 20.
To end, close: dies quidem jam ad umbilicum est dimidiatus mortuus, Plaut. Men. 1, 2, 45.
Comic.: vae illis virgis miseris, quae hodie in tergo morientur meo, will find their death, be destroyed, broken, Plaut. Capt. 3, 4, 117: ut iste interpositus sermo deliciarum desidiaeque moreretur, Cic. Cael. 31, 76: ne suavissimi hominis memoria moreretur, id. Pis. 38, 93: cum multa cotidie ab antiquis ficta moriantur, fall into disuse, become obsolete, Quint. 8, 6, 32: gratia, Ov. P. 3, 2, 27.
Esp. (in eccl. Lat.), of the loss of moral or spiritual vitality, to die, to lose virtue and divine guidance: in Adam omnes moriuntur, Vulg. 1 Cor. 15, 22: confirma cetera quae moritura erant, id. Apoc. 3, 2; cf. id. Johan. 11, 26; id. Rom. 7, 9.
Hence, mŏrtŭus, a, um, P. a., dead (class.).
- A. Adj.
- 1. Lit.: sanguine tauri poto mortuus concidit, Cic. Brut. 11, 43.
Prov.: mortuum esse alicui, to be dead to one, to wish to have nothing further to do with him, Plaut. Cist. 3, 15.
- 2. Transf.
- a. Of persons, faint, overwhelmed: cum tu, quod tibi succederetur, exsanguis et mortuus concidisti, Cic. Pis. 36, 88.
- b. Of things concr. and abstr., dead, decayed, withered, passed away, etc.: lacerti, Cic. Sen. 9, 27: flores, Plin. 11, 8, 8, § 18: et antiquae leges, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 18, § 45: plausus, id. Att. 2, 19, 3: mortuā re verba nunc facis. Stultus es, rem actam agis, dead, done with, Plaut. Ps. 1, 3, 27.
- c. Mare mortuum.
- (α) The North Sea of Europe, Plin. 4, 13, 27, § 94.
- (β) The Dead Sea of Judea, Just. 36, 3.
- B. Subst.: mŏrtŭus, i, m., a dead person, dead man: mortuum in domum inferre, Cic. Mil. 27, 75: a mortuis excitare, to awake from the dead, id. de Or 1, 57, 242: amandare aliquem infra mortuos, even below the dead, id. Quint. 15, 49: ut multis mortuus unus sufficeret, Juv. 15, 79: ossa mortuorum, Vulg. Matt. 23, 27.
Prov.: mortuo verba facere, to talk to a dead man, i. e. in vain, Plaut. Poen. 4, 2, 18; Ter. Phorm. 5, 9, 26.
Esp. (eccl. Lat.), dead, without spiritual life: nomen habes quod vivas et mortuus es, Vulg. Apoc. 3, 1: fides sine operibus mortua est, id. Jac. 2, 26; cf. id. Eph. 2, 1; 5, 14.
Also, dead to any thing, not alive to it, not open to its influence, etc.: peccato, Vulg. Rom. 6, 2: peccatis, id. 1 Pet. 2, 24: legi, id. Gal. 2, 19; cf.: mortui cum Christo ab elementis hujus mundi, id. Col. 2, 20: mortui estis, et vita vestra est abscondita cum Christo in Deo, id. ib. 3, 3.