Added 2 October 2026
death
/dɛθ/ noun
In Latin: mors, nex, exitium Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about death at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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The cessation of life and all associated processes; the end of an organism's existence as an entity independent from its environment and its return to an inert, non-living state.
My grandfather died/met a violent death, which saddened the whole family.
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Execution (in the judicial sense).
The serial killer was sentenced to death.
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The personification of death as a (usually male) hooded figure with a scythe; the Grim Reaper.
When death walked in, a chill spread through the room.
Origin
From Middle English deth, deeth, from Old English dēaþ, from Proto-West Germanic *dauþu, from Proto-Germanic *dauþuz, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰówtus. More at die. Cognates Cognate with Scots daeth, daith, death, deeth, deith (“death”), North Frisian Duar, duas, düüs (“death”), Saterland Frisian Dood (“death”), West Frisian dea (“death”), Dutch dood (“death”), German Tod, Todt (“death”), Limburgish doead (“death”), Luxembourgish Doud (“death”), Yiddish טויט (toyt, “death”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål død (“death”), Faroese deyði (“death”), Icelandic dauði (“death”), Norwegian Nynorsk daude, død (“death”), Swedish död (“death”), Gothic 𐌳𐌰𐌿𐌸𐌿𐍃 (dauþus, “death”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)