mortifer

See also: mortífer and mortifèr

Latin

FWOTD – 9 March 2021

Alternative forms

• mortiferus

Etymology

From mors (“death”) +‎ -fer (“-carrying”), literally “death-bearing”. Calque of Ancient Greek θανατηφόρος (thanatēphóros).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈmor.ti.fer/, [ˈmɔrt̪ɪfɛr]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈmor.ti.fer/, [ˈmɔrt̪ifer]

Adjective

mortifer (feminine mortifera, neuter mortiferum); first/second-declension adjective (nominative masculine singular in -er)

1. deadly, fatal, lethal
   • Gospel of Mark, Vulgate, from 16:18

     Et sī mortiferum quid biberint nōn eōs nocēbit.

     And if they drink anything deadly it shall not harm them.

Declension

First/second-declension adjective (nominative masculine singular in -er).

Number	Singular				Plural
Case / Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	mortifer	mortifera	mortiferum		mortiferī	mortiferae	mortifera
Genitive	mortiferī	mortiferae	mortiferī		mortiferōrum	mortiferārum	mortiferōrum
Dative	mortiferō		mortiferō		mortiferīs
Accusative	mortiferum	mortiferam	mortiferum		mortiferōs	mortiferās	mortifera
Ablative	mortiferō	mortiferā	mortiferō		mortiferīs
Vocative	mortifer	mortifera	mortiferum		mortiferī	mortiferae	mortifera

Descendants

• Catalan: mortífer
• French: mortifère
• Italian: mortifero
• Occitan: mortifèr
• Portuguese: mortífero
• Spanish: mortífero

References

• “mortifer”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “mortifer”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• mortifer in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to drain the cup of poison: poculum mortis (mortiferum) exhaurire (Cluent. 11. 31)
    
  • to inflict a death-blow: plagam extremam or mortiferam infligere
    
  • to inflict a mortal wound on some one: mortiferam plagam alicui infligere
    
  • to be (seriously, mortally) wounded: vulnus (grave, mortiferum) accipere, excipere
    

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin mortiferus or French mortifère.

Adjective

mortifer m or n (feminine singular mortiferă, masculine plural mortiferi, feminine and neuter plural mortifere)

1. lethal

Declension

Declension of mortifer

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative/ accusative	indefinite	mortifer		mortiferă	mortiferi	mortifere
	definite	mortiferul		mortifera	mortiferii	mortiferele
genitive/ dative	indefinite	mortifer		mortifere	mortiferi	mortifere
	definite	mortiferului		mortiferei	mortiferilor	mortiferelor