mortify

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

Contents 1 English 1.1 Etymology 1.2 Verb 1.2.1 Derived terms 1.3 References

[edit] English

[edit] Etymology

Old French mortifier, from Late Latin mortificare (“‘cause death’”), from mortificus (“‘producing death’”) from Latin mors (“‘death’”) + facere (“‘to make’”), from whence also -ify (“‘to make’”).^[1]

Sense of “to die” 1382; sense of “religious discipline” c. 1412; sense of “humiliate” 1645 (in mortification).^[1]

[edit] Verb

to mortify (third-person singular simple present mortifies, present participle mortifying, simple past and past participle mortified)

1. (usually used passively) to embarrass

   I was so mortified I could have died right there, instead I fainted, but I swore I'd never let that happen to me again.

2. to discipline oneself by suppressing desires

   Some people seek sainthood by mortifying the body. I wonder if such ascetics are masochists?

3. (medicine) (of part of the body) to die

   The loss of blood flow caused the toe to mortify and they had to amputate the foot to save the life.

[edit] Derived terms

• mortification

[edit] References

• Notes:

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} “mortify” in the Online Etymology Dictionary, Douglas Harper, 2001