mor·ti·fy
Audio Help [mawr-tuh-fahy] Pronunciation Key verb, -fied, -fy·ing.
—Related forms
Audio Help [mawr-tuh-fahy] Pronunciation Key verb, -fied, -fy·ing. –verb (used with object)
–verb (used without object)
| 1. | to humiliate or shame, as by injury to one's pride or self-respect. |
| 2. | to subjugate (the body, passions, etc.) by abstinence, ascetic discipline, or self-inflicted suffering. |
| 3. | Pathology. to affect with gangrene or necrosis. |
| 4. | to practice mortification or disciplinary austerities. |
| 5. | Pathology. to undergo mortification; become gangrened or necrosed. |
[Origin: 1350–1400; ME mortifien < MF mortifier < LL mortificāre to put to death, equiv. to L morti- (s. of mors) death + -ficāre -fy
]
] —Related forms
mor·ti·fied·ly, adverb
mor·ti·fi·er, noun
mor·ti·fy·ing·ly, adverb
—Synonyms 1. humble, abase. 2. subdue, restrain.
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
mortify
To learn more about mortify visit Britannica.com
| © 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |
| mor·ti·fy
Audio Help (môr'tə-fī') Pronunciation Key
v. mor·ti·fied, mor·ti·fy·ing, mor·ti·fies v. tr.
v. intr.
[Middle English mortifien, to deaden, subdue, from Old French mortifier, from Latin mortificāre, to kill : mors, mort-, death; see mer- in Indo-European roots + -ficāre, -fy.] |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
mortify
1382, "to kill," from O.Fr. mortifier, from L.L. mortificare "cause death," from mortificus "producing death," from L. mors (gen. mortis) "death" (see mortal) + root of facere "to make" (see factitious). Religious sense of "to subdue the flesh by abstinence and discipline" first attested c.1412. Sense of "humiliate" first recorded 1645 in mortification (which is attested c.1386 in its base sense of "mortifying the flesh").
| Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper |
| mortify | |
verb | |
| 1. | practice self-denial of one's body and appetites |
| 2. | hold within limits and control; "subdue one's appetites"; "mortify the flesh" |
| 3. | cause to feel shame; hurt the pride of; "He humiliated his colleague by criticising him in front of the boss" [syn: humiliate] |
| 4. | undergo necrosis; "the tissue around the wound necrosed" [syn: necrose] |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
mortify [ˈmoː(r)tifai] verb
: be/feel mortified to be/feel extremely embarrassed or humiliated
Example: He was mortified when she slapped him.
See also: mortifyingExample: He was mortified when she slapped him.
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| Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary, © 2000-2006 K Dictionaries Ltd. |
Mortify
Mor`ti*fi*ca"tion\, n. [F., fr. L. mortificatio a killing. See Mortify.]1. The act of mortifying, or the condition of being mortified; especially: (a) (Med.) The death of one part of an animal body, while the rest continues to live; loss of vitality in some part of a living animal; gangrene. --Dunglison. (b) (Alchem. & Old Chem.) Destruction of active qualities; neutralization. [Obs.] --Bacon. (c) Subjection of the passions and appetites, by penance, absistence, or painful severities inflicted on the body. The mortification of our lusts has something in it that is troublesome, yet nothing that is unreasonable. --Tillotson. (d) Hence: Deprivation or depression of self-approval; abatement or pride; humiliation; chagrin; vexation. We had the mortification to lose sight of Munich, Augsburg, and Ratisbon. --Addison. 2. That which mortifies; the cause of humiliation, chagrin, or vexation. It is one of the vexatious mortifications of a studious man to have his thoughts discovered by a tedious visit. --L'Estrange. 3. (Scots Law) A gift to some charitable or religious institution; -- nearly synonymous with mortmain. Syn: Chagrin; vexation; shame. See Chagrin.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
Mortify
Mor"ti*fied\, imp. & p. p. of Mortify.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
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