English
WOTD – 28 October 2007
Etymology
From Latin moribundus (“dying”).[1]
Pronunciation
Adjective
moribund (not comparable)
- Approaching death; about to die; dying; expiring.
1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part I, page 206, column 2:These moribund shapes were free as air—and nearly as thin.
- (figurative) Almost obsolete; nearing an end.
Derived terms
Translations
approaching death
- Bulgarian: умиращ (bg) (umirašt)
- Catalan: moribund (ca)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 垂死 (zh) (chuísǐ), 腐朽 (zh) (fǔxiǔ), 瀕死 / 濒死 (zh) (bīnsǐ)
- Czech: moribundní
- Danish: døende
- Finnish: kuoleva (fi)
- French: moribond (fr), mourant (fr)
- Galician: moribundo (gl)
- German: moribund (de), todgeweiht (de)
- Greek: ετοιμοθάνατος (el) (etoimothánatos)
- Hungarian: haldokló (hu), halódó
- Icelandic: dauðvona (is), (to be moribund) liggja fyrir dauðanum, að dauða kominn
- Indonesian: nazak, sekarat (id)
- Irish: díbheo
- Italian: moribondo (it), morente (it)
- Japanese: 瀕死の (ja) (ひんしの, hinshi-no), 死にかけている (shi-ni kakete iru)
- Latin: moribundus (la)
- Malay: nazak
- Manx: neuvioal, neuvioyr, raad y vaaish, gyn leihill, lhiastagh, lieh-vio
- Norwegian: døende (no)
- Polish: umierający, konający
- Portuguese: moribundo (pt), morrediço, morrente (pt)
- Russian: умира́ющий (ru) (umirájuščij), агони́рующий (agonírujuščij), загнива́ющий (ru) (zagnivájuščij)
- Sanskrit: मारुक (sa) (māruka)
- Serbo-Croatian: moribundan, umirući, samrtnički (sh), agonalni
- Spanish: moribundo (es), mortecino (es)
- Swedish: döende (sv)
- Thai: ร่อแร่ (th) (rɔ̂ɔ-rɛ̂ɛ)
- Turkish: can çekişen
- Ukrainian: вмираючий (vmyrajučyj)
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almost obsolete
- Danish: uddøende
- Finnish: poistuva, loppuva, katoava
- Hungarian: kihalófélben lévő, kihalóban lévő
- Indonesian: hampir mati
- Russian: устарева́ющий (ru) (ustarevájuščij), выходя́щий из употребле́ния (vyxodjáščij iz upotreblénija)
- Swedish: utdöende (sv)
- Ukrainian: відсталий (vidstalyj), той, що виходить з вжитку (toj, ščo vyxodytʹ z vžytku)
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Noun
moribund (plural moribunds)
- A person who is near to dying.
References
Anagrams
German
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /moʁiˈbʊnt/
- Rhymes: -ʊnt
Adjective
moribund (strong nominative masculine singular moribunder, not comparable)
- (also figurative) moribund (approaching death)
Declension
Positive forms of moribund (uncomparable)
Further reading
- “moribund” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
- “moribund” in Duden online
- “moribund” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon