mort

French has two words mort: the noun “death”, from Latin mors, and the adjective and noun “dead”, from the past participle mortuus.^[1][2][3]

mort¹ death

Pronunciation

• IPA: /mɔʁ/^[2]

Forms

mort f (plural morts)^[2]

Etymology

The noun “death” is inherited from Old French mort, inherited from Latin mors (“death; capital punishment”), accusative “mortem”.^{[4][5][1][3][6]} Like the verb “morī” (see mourir), it goes back to the Indo-European root Proto-Indo-European *mer- (“to die”).^[5] In Latin “mors” also named Death personified and, figuratively, ruin or loss (“mors memoriae” “loss of memory”); Christian Latin used it for spiritual death through sin.^[5]

Cognate with Italian morte and Spanish muerte.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in the Séquence de sainte Eulalie (881), which asks that Christ have mercy on us post la mort “after death”.^[4][5]

Semantic evolution

Phrases appear early: aler a la mort (late 10th century), a mort (1080, a mort est ferut “he is mortally wounded”), ne por vie ne por mort (1160–1174) and u a mort u a vie (about 1170), forerunner of mort ou vif.^[4][5] Death personified, with a club or a sling, is found from about 1165, before the familiar scythe.^[4][5] In law mort d'homme dates from 1283, and the death penalty is meant in the 14th century, condamné à mort (1606) replaced criminel de mort (1559).^[4][5]

From the end of the 12th century mort also meant spiritual death, damnation, with the seconde mort of the Apocalypse (about 1223).^[4][5] The oath par la mort Dieu (late 13th century) was disguised as morbleu.^[5][3] Modern phrases include il n'y a pas mort d'homme (1838) and c'est pas la mort (1970s).^[5]

Timeline

• 881 – La mort in the Séquence de sainte Eulalie.^[4]
• c. 1100 – A mort in the Chanson de Roland.^[4]
• c. 1165 – Death personified, in Benoît de Sainte-Maure.^[4]
• 1283 – Mort d'homme in Beaumanoir.^[4]
• 1594 – Mort-aux-rats.^[3]
• 1606 – Condamné à mort in Nicot.^[4]
• 1612 – Morbleu.^[3]
• 1838 – Il n'y a pas mort d'homme.^[5]

Meanings

Noun

1. Death, the end of life: la mort de Socrate, à la vie, à la mort.^[4][2]
2. La Mort: Death personified.^[4][7]
3. The death penalty: condamné à mort.^[4][5]
4. À mort: mortally; to the utmost: en vouloir à mort à quelqu'un.^[5]
5. (religion) Spiritual death, damnation.^[4]
6. (figurative) The end, ruin of something: la mort d'une civilisation.^[5]

Word family

• mort-aux-rats
• morbleu

mort² dead

Pronunciation

• IPA: /mɔʁ/^[2]

Forms

mort (feminine morte, masculine plural morts, feminine plural mortes)^[2]

Etymology

The adjective “dead” is inherited from Vulgar Latin *mortus (“dead”), the popular form of classical Latin mortuus (“dead”), past participle of morior (“to die”).^[3][1][2][8] Littré notes that “mortuus” is irregularly formed, with the suffix of “mutuus”; the regular form would have been “mortus”.^[9] The noun “un mort”, “une morte” “dead person” is the adjective used as a noun (1080).^[1]

Cognate with Italian morto and Spanish muerto.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found at the end of the 10th century, as the participle and adjective of mourir; the noun un mort “a dead man” follows in 1080.^[1][10]

Semantic evolution

Besides people, animals and plants (bois mort, feuilles mortes), the adjective was applied to whatever has lost its life or movement: stagnant water (morte-eau, 1690), a dead season (morte-saison, 15th century).^[7][3][10] Mort-né dates from 1551 and mort-bois from 1533.^[3] Card players have said faire le mort, of the hand laid down by a missing player, since 1845.^[11]

Timeline

• Late 10th century – Participle and adjective mort.^[1]
• 1080 – The noun un mort “dead man”.^[1]
• 15th century – Morte-saison.^[3]
• 1551 – Mort-né.^[3]
• 1690 – Morte-eau.^[3]
• 1845 – Faire un mort at cards, in Balzac.^[11]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Dead: Il est mort depuis longtemps, mort ou vif.^[7][2]
2. Of plants or tissue: dead: bois mort, feuilles mortes.^[7]
3. Lifeless, inactive: une ville morte, la saison morte.^[7][3]
4. (familiar) Worn out, done for: Je suis mort de fatigue.^[7]

Noun

1. A dead person: les morts, le jour des Morts.^[2][7]
2. (card games) The dummy.^[11]

Word family

• mort-né
• morte-saison
• mort-bois
• morte-eau

Related words

• mourir
• mortel
• Latin mors

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 6/3, 141a
7. ^ a b c d e f g Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 6/3, 134a
9. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
10. ^ a b Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
11. ^ a b c Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF