death

• n. 死；死亡；死神；毁灭
• n. (Death)人名；(英)迪阿思

词态变化

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中文词源

来自dead的名词形式。

英文词源

death

death: [OE] Like dead, death comes from a Germanic verb base *dau-, which also produced English die. To it was added the abstract noun suffix *-tus, later *-thuz, meaning ‘act, process, condition’. This produced prehistoric Germanic *dauthuz, source of Gothic dauthus, Old Norse dauthr, and Old English dēath. Its modern English descendant, death, thus means literally ‘act or process of dying’, in the same way as birth means ‘act or process of bearing’ and strength means ‘condition of being strong’.
=> dead, die

death (n.)

Old English deað "death, dying, cause of death," in plura, "ghosts," from Proto-Germanic *dauthuz (cognates: Old Saxon doth, Old Frisian dath, Dutch dood, Old High German tod, German Tod, Old Norse dauði, Danish død, Swedish död, Gothic dauþus "death"), from verbal stem *dheu- (3) "to die" (see die (v.)) + *-thuz suffix indicating "act, process, condition."

I would not that death should take me asleep. I would not have him meerly seise me, and onely declare me to be dead, but win me, and overcome me. When I must shipwrack, I would do it in a sea, where mine impotencie might have some excuse; not in a sullen weedy lake, where I could not have so much as exercise for my swimming. [John Donne, letter to Sir Henry Goodere, Sept. 1608]

Death's-head, a symbol of mortality, is from 1590s. Death row first recorded 1940s. Death knell is attested from 1814; death penalty from 1875; death rate from 1859. Slang be death on "be very good at" is from 1839. Death wish first recorded 1896. The death-watch beetle (1660s) inhabits houses, makes a ticking noise like a watch, and was superstitiously supposed to portend death.

FEW ears have escaped the noise of the death-watch, that is, the little clickling sound heard often in many rooms, somewhat resembling that of a watch; and this is conceived to be of an evil omen or prediction of some person's death: wherein notwithstanding there is nothing of rational presage or just cause of terror unto melancholy and meticulous heads. For this noise is made by a little sheathwinged grey insect, found often in wainscot benches and wood-work in the summer. [Browne, "Vulgar Errors"]

双语例句

1. It was a crime of espionage and carried the death penalty.

这是间谍罪，应判死刑。

来自柯林斯例句

2. A young man plunged from a sheer rock face to his death.

一名男青年从陡峭的岩壁上坠崖身亡。

来自柯林斯例句

3. Bishop Daly said he was devastated by news of the Cardinal's death.

戴利主教说他听到红衣主教去世的消息后感到极为震惊和难过。

来自柯林斯例句

4. Accidents are still the number one cause of premature death for Americans.

交通事故仍然是造成美国人过早死亡的头号因素。

来自柯林斯例句

5. The auguries of death are fast gathering round his head.

死亡凶兆迅速地在他脑海中盘旋。

来自柯林斯例句