death

D0058000 (dĕth)n.1. The act of dying; termination of life.2. The state of being dead.3. The cause of dying: Drugs were the death of him.4. A manner of dying: a heroine's death.5. often Death A personification of the destroyer of life, usually represented as a skeleton holding a scythe.6. a. Bloodshed; murder.b. Execution.7. Law Civil death.8. The termination or extinction of something: the death of imperialism.Idioms: at death's door Near to death; gravely ill or injured. be the death of To distress or irritate to an intolerable degree. death on Opposed to or strict about: Our boss is death on casual dressing. put to death To execute. to death To an intolerable degree; extremely: worried to death. to the death Until one participant in a fight or struggle has died or been killed.

[Middle English deeth, from Old English dēath; see dheu- in Indo-European roots.]

death

(dɛθ) n1. the permanent end of all functions of life in an organism or some of its cellular components2. an instance of this: his death ended an era. 3. a murder or killing: he had five deaths on his conscience. 4. termination or destruction: the death of colonialism. 5. a state of affairs or an experience considered as terrible as death: your constant nagging will be the death of me. 6. a cause or source of death7. (Art Terms) (usually capital) a personification of death, usually a skeleton or an old man holding a scythe8. a. to death to the death until dead: bleed to death; a fight to the death. b. to death excessively: bored to death. 9. (Medicine) at death's door likely to die soon10. (Medicine) catch one's death catch one's death of cold informal to contract a severe cold11. do to death a. to killb. to overuse (a joke, etc) so that it no longer has any effect12. (Hunting) present when an animal that is being hunted is caught and killed13. present at the finish or climax14. (Medicine) like death warmed up informal very ill15. like grim death as if afraid for one's life16. (Law) put to death to kill deliberately or execute[Old English dēath; related to Old High German tōd death, Gothic dauthus]

death

(dɛθ)

n. 1. the act of dying; the end of life. Compare brain death. 2. the state of being dead. 3. extinction; destruction. 4. (usu. cap.) the agent of death personified, usu. represented as the Grim Reaper. 5. loss or absence of spiritual life. 6. massacre; mayhem. 7. a cause of death: You'll be the death of me yet! Idioms: 1. at death's door, in serious danger of dying; gravely ill. 2. do to death, to do so often that boredom or staleness sets in. 3. put to death, to kill; execute. 4. to death, to an intolerable degree: sick to death of working. [before 900; Middle English deeth, Old English dēath; c. Old High German tōd, akin to die¹]

Death

See also burial; corpses; killing
autophonomaniaan obsession with suicide.cerement, cerementsthe cloth or clothing in which the dead are wrapped for burial or other form of funeral.cinerariuma place where the cremated remains of the dead are stored. — cinerary, adj.columbariuma vault where the remains of cremated bodies are kept, usually in one of a number of recesses in a wall.crematorium, crematorya place where cremations are done.epitaph1. an inscription on a monument, as on a gravestone.
2. a short piece of prose or verse written in honor of a dead person. — epitaphial, epitaphian, epitaphic, adj.euthanasiathe deliberate killing of painfully ill or terminally ill people to put them out of their misery. Also called mercy killing.ktenologythe science of putting people to death.moribundity1. the state or quality of being on the verge of death.
2. close to extinction or stagnant. — moribund, adj.myriologuean improvised funeral song, composed for the dead and sung by women in modern Greece. — myriologist, n. — myriologic, myriological, adj.necrolatrythe worship of the dead.necrology1. an announcement of death; obituary.
2. a list of persons who have died within a certain time. Also necrologue. — necrologist, n.necromancy1. the magie practiced by a witch or sorcerer.
2. a form of divination through communication with the dead; the black art. Also nigromancy. — necromancer, necromant, nigromancien, n. — necromantie, adj.necromaniaan obsession with death or the dead.necromimesisan abnormal condition in which a person believes himself dead.necrophilia, necrophilisman abnormal, often sexual attraction toward the dead or a dead body. — necrophile, n.necrophobiaan abnormal fear of death. Also called thanatophobia.necrosisthe death or decay of body tissue, the result of loss of blood supply or trauma. — necrotic, adj.nerterologyRare. any learning that pertains to the dead.ossuariuma place or receptacle for the bones of the dead. Also called ossuary.taphophilia, taphephiliaan excessive interest in graves and cemeteries.thanatoidresembling death; deathly.thanatologythe study of death or the dead. Also thanatism. — thanatological, adj.thanatomaniaan obsession with death. See also necromania.thanatophobianecrophobia.thanatopsisa survey of or meditation upon death.viaticumthe Eucharist given to one about to die; last rites or extreme unction. — viatic, viatical, adj.

Death

See Also: ADVANCING; BEGINNINGS/ENDINGS; DEATH, DEFINED; DEATH, FINALITY OF; ENTRANCES/EXITS; SUDDENNESS; TIMELINESS

As death comes on we are like trees growing in the sandy bank of a widening river —Bhartrihari
The body of Benjamin Franklin, Printer, like the cover of an old book, its contents torn out, and stripped of its lettering and gilding, lies here, food for worms —Benjamin Franklin
Franklin’s epitaph for himself is a fine example of appropriately suiting the comparison to what’s being compared.
(Kill him) dead as a beef —William Faulkner
[Sexual feelings] dead as a burned-out cinder —Ellen Glasgow
Death arrives … sudden as a pasteboard box crushed by a foot —Marge Piercy
Death falling like snow on any head it chooses —Philip Levine
Death fell round me like a rain of steel —Herbert Read
A simile from one of Read’s many war poems, Meditation of the Waking English Officer.
Death has many times invited me: it was like the salt invisible in the waves —Pablo Neruda
Death lies on her, like an untimely frost —William Shakespeare
Death, like roulette, turning our wish to its will —George Barker
Death lurking up the road like a feral dog abroad in the swirling snow —Marge Piercy
Death, you can never tell where else it will crop up —John Hale
Die alone like a dog in a ditch —Aldous Huxley
See Also: ABANDONMENT, ALONENESS
Died in beauty, like a rose blown from its parent stem —CD. Sillery
Die like candles in a draft —Sharon Sheehe Stark
In the short story, The Johnstown Polka, the simile has a literal frame of reference; specifically, a room in an old age home which is overheated because to open the windows would kill the people in it.
Died like flies in a sugar bowl —Rita Mae Brown
(I won’t) drown like a rat in a trap —George Bernard Shaw
Like a swift-fleeting meteor, a fast flaying cloud, a flash of lightning, a break of the wave, man passes from life to his rest in the grave —William Knox
Dying is as natural as living —Thomas Fuller
Dying like flies —Anon
An even more frequently used variation is to “Drop like flies.”
(I will) encounter darkness as a bride —William Shakespeare
(You couldn’t) expect death to come rushing in like a skivvy because you’d rung the bell —Paul Barker
Feel my death rushing towards me like an express train —John Updike
Felt death near, like a garment she had left hanging in her closet and could not see or find, though she knew it was there —Abraham Rothberg
Go to their graves like flowers or creeping worms —Percy Bysshe Shelley
The intimations of mortality appear so gradually as to be imperceptible, like the first graying in of twilight —Richard Selzer
Like a clock worn out with eating time, the wheels of weary life at last stood still —John Dryden
Like a led victim, to my death I’ll go —John Dryden
Like sheep they are laid in the grave —The Holy Bible/Psalms
(I now) look at death, the way we look at a house we plan to move into —William Bronk
Men fear death, as children fear to go in the dark; and as that natural fear in children is increased with tales, so is the other —Francis Bacon
Our fear of death is like our fear that summer will be short, but when we have had our swing of pleasure, our fill of fruit, and our swelter of heat, we say we have had our day —Ralph Waldo Emerson
Passed away, as a dry leaf passes into leaf mold —John Updike
[In old age] the shadow of death … like a sword of Damocles, may descend at any moment —Samuel Butler
She passed away like morning dew —Hartley Coleridge
Talking over the fact of his approaching death as though it were a piece of property for agreeable disposition in the family —Elizabeth Spencer
There are no graves that grow so green as the graves of children —Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
From a letter of condolence to W. R. Sturtevant, September 17, 1878, in which the simile continues as follows: “Their memory comes back after a time more beautiful than that of those who leave us at any other age.”
See Also: CHILDREN
We are all kept and fed for death, like a herd of swine to be slain without reason —Palladas
We end our years like a sigh … for it is speedily gone, and we fly away —The Holy Bible/Psalms
Wherever you go, death dogs you like a shadow —Anon, probably dating back to before Christ.

Death

big jump An American cowboy who dies is said to have taken the big jump.

bite the dust To die; to come a cropper; to suffer defeat; to fail. The image created by the phrase is one of death: a warrior or soldier falling from a horse and literally biting the dust. In 1697, Dryden used the phrase in his translation of Virgil’s Aeneid.

So many Valiant Heros bite the Ground.

Western stories popularized the phrase in expressions such as “many a redskin bit the dust that day” (Webster’s Third). It is also said to have gained currency during World War II in R.A.F. circles. Today the phrase is used figuratively in reference to the defeat, disaster, or failure of a person or something closely associated with a person. One who is defeated is said to bite the dust, but rarely is the phrase used seriously in regard to someone’s death.

bless the world with one’s heels To suffer death by hanging. The bless of the expression carries its obsolete meaning ‘to wave or brandish,’ a meaning Dr. Johnson conjectured derived from the action of benediction when the celebrant blesses the congregation with the monstrance. In somewhat similar fashion a hanging man blesses the world with his heels.

buy it To be killed; to die prematurely as a result of a tragedy. Buy it is a witty way of saying “pay for it with one’s life.” The phrase dates from the early 19th century when it was used primarily in military circles.

The wings and fuselage, with fifty-three bullet holes, caused us to realize on our return how near we had been to “buying it.” (W. Noble, With Bristol Fighter Squadron, 1920)

Today this British slang phrase is used in nonmilitary contexts as well.

buy the box To die, or be as good as dead. Many people buy their own coffins in order to spare their families the expense and trauma of the funeral and burial arrangements. The irony of “preparing for death” probably gave rise to this irreverent slang expression, the implication being that once a person “buys the box,” he might as well be dead.

buy the farm To die; to be shot down and killed. The origin of this British slang phrase has been attributed to British pilots who were wont to say that when “it was all over,” they were “going to settle down and buy a farm.” Many pilots were never able to realize this dream because they were shot down and killed. Thus, buy the farm became a euphemism for ‘die’ because of the glaring disparity between the idealized dream cherished by the pilots and the tragic reality of the death they experienced.

cash in one’s chips To die, to pass on or away. Also cash or pass or hand in one’s checks. In use since the 1870s, this expression is a reference to the card game of poker, in which a player turns in his chips or checks to the banker in exchange for cash at the end of the game.

cross the Great Divide To die; to go west; to cross the Styx. Cross over is a euphemistic way of saying ‘to die.’ Cross the Great Divide is a longer, more emphatic, but still euphemistic way of saying the same thing. Here the “Great Divide” is being used figuratively to refer to the illusory line between life and death. At one time, the unsettled area referred to as the “West”—across the Great Divide or Continental Divide —represented the “Great Unknown,” and heading in that direction came to mean risking one’s life.

curtains See TERMINATION.

dance on air To be hanged; also dance on nothing. A person who is hanged may undergo involuntary muscle contractions. These jerky movements resemble dancing of a sort. Similar expressions include dance in the rope and dance the Tyburn jig, the latter in reference to Tyburn, a place for public executions in London, England.

If any of them chanced to be made dance in the rope, they thought him happy to be so freed of the care and trouble [that] attends the miserable indigent. (Sorel’s Comical History of Francion, 1655)

Just as the felon condemned to die …
From his gloomy cell in a vision elopes,
To caper on sunny greens and slopes,
Instead of the dance upon nothing. (Thomas Hood, Kilmansegg, Her Death, 1840)

dead as a doornail Dead, very dead, deader than dead; inoperative with no hope of repair. Many houses formerly had a heavy metal knocker on the front door. A doornail was a large, heavy-headed spike sometimes used as a striker plate against which the knocker was struck to increase its loudness and prevent damage to the door. Since the doornail was continually being struck on the head, it was assumed that nothing could be deader.

Old Marley was as dead as a doornail. (Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol, 1843)

As knockers (and doornails) became less common, the word doorknob was often substituted in the expression. Other expressions such as dumb as a doornail and deaf as a doornail imply that someone is extremely stupid or stone deaf, respectively.

debt to nature Death. The implication is that life is a loan and, with or without interest, it must be paid off with death. Pay one’s debt to nature means to die. Both these expressions, common since the Middle Ages, have been used as euphemistic epitaphs on tombstones, particularly those from the early 20th century.

Pay nature’s debt with a cheerful countenance. (Christopher Marlowe, Edward II, approx. 1593)

die for want of lobster sauce See EXCESSIVENESS.

die in harness To die while working or while in the middle of some action, especially while fighting. The allusion may be to a horse who drops dead while still in harness, as a plowhorse working a field. Another possibility is that harness is used in the archaic sense of armor for men or horses, as in the following passage from Shakespeare’s Macbeth:

At least we’ll die with harness on our back. (V,v)

Two similar phrases are to die in the saddle and to die with one’s boots on. The latter dates from the late 19th century and formerly meant to die a violent death, especially by hanging. To die in the saddle brings to mind cavalry or mounted soldiers while to die with one’s boots on conjures up images of foot soldiers, as in the following citation:

They died with their boots on; they hardly ever surrendered. (Listener Magazine, 1959)

die like Roland See HUNGER.

feed the fishes To die by drowning.

food for worms A dead and interred body; a corpse or carcass. The source of this saying is obvious. Another expression of similar zoological origin is food for fishes, referring to one dead from drowning.

He was food for fishes now, poor fellow. (Rider Haggard, Mr. Meson’s Will, 1894)

give up the ghost To die, to expire, to breathe one’s last. Ghost refers to one’s soul or spirit, the essence of life. The expression is Biblical in origin:

But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? (Job 14:10)

go belly up An American slang expression meaning to die and float belly up in the manner of dead fish. It is used figuratively for any failure or nonsuc-cess, just as death is.

go the way of all flesh To die. This expression is of Biblical origin:

And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the Earth. (Joshua 23:14)

The phrase’s evolution to its present form with flesh substituted for the Earth is not fully understood by modern scholars. The expression appeared in The Golden Age by Thomas Hey-wood (1611):

Whether I had better go home by land, or by sea? If I go by land and miscarry, then I go the way of all flesh.

go west To expire, die. This expression, obviously derived from the setting of the sun in the west, may be traced to the ancient Egyptian belief that their dead resided west of the Nile River. In addition, whites who traveled west of the Mississippi during the frontier days were considered fair game for Indians; hence, in the United States “going west” became synonymous with dying. The use of this expression has decreased since its heyday during World War I.

I shall once again be in the company of dear old friends now ‘gone west.’ (E. Corri, Thirty Years as a Boxing Referee, 1915)

have [someone’s] number on it See DESTINY.

join the majority To die; to pass on or away. Also join the great majority, go or pass over to the majority, death joins us to the great majority. Based on the Latin phrase abiit ad plures, this expression and variants have been in use since the early 18th century.

kick the bucket To die. Although several explanations as to the origin of this expression have been advanced, the most plausible states that the phrase came from an old custom of hanging slaughtered pigs by their heels from a beam, or bucket, as it is known in parts of England. In use since 1785, this irreverent synonym for to die is popular in both England and America. Shorter variations include kick, kick off, and kick in.

leap in the dark An action of unknown consequences; a blind venture; death. The last words of Thomas Hobbes, philosopher and translator (1588-1679), are reputed to have been:

Now am I about to take my last voyage—a great leap in the dark.

make a hole in the water To commit suicide by drowning. The hole in this expression refers to a grave. To make a hole in the water, then, is to go to a watery grave intentionally. This slang phrase, rarely heard today, dates from the mid-19th century.

Why I don’t go and make a hole in the water I don’t know. (Charles Dickens, Bleak House, 1853)

make [someone’s] beard See DOMINATION.

necktie party A lynching or hanging; also necktie social, necktie sociable, necktie frolic. This euphemistic and irreverent American slang expression, popularized by western movies, is an extension of the slang necktie ‘hangman’s rope.’

Mr. Jim Clemenston, equine abductor, was on last Thursday morning, at ten sharp, made the victim of a neck-tie sociable. (Harper’s Magazine, November, 1871)

[one’s] number is up A person is about to die—one is done for, one’s time has come. At an earlier date, number referred to one’s lottery number; currently, the full expression refers euphemistically to death.

Fate had dealt him a knock-out blow; his number was up. (P. G. Wodehouse, Girl on Boat, 1922)

This expression was common among American soldiers who may have been the first to use it in speaking of death.

peg out To die; to bite the dust. In cribbage, the game is finished when a player pegs out the last hole. This expression is among the less frequently heard euphemisms for death.

Harrison … was then 67 … and actually pegged out in 1841. (H. L. Mencken, in The New Yorker, October 1, 1949)

push up daisies To be dead and buried in one’s grave; also turn one’s toes up to the daisies and under the daisies. The reference is to the flowers often planted on top of new graves. The expression and variants have been in use since the mid-19th century.

sprout wings See CHARITABLENESS.

step off To die; to be married. The expression’s latter sense, often extended to step off the carpet, refers to the conclusion of the bride’s procession to the altar. The phrase’s former, more common, meaning is an allusion to the last footstep of life.

The old man and I are both due to step off if we’re caught. (Dashiell Hammett, Blood Money, 1927)

take for a ride To murder; to deceive or cheat; to pull someone’s leg. This underworld euphemism for ‘murder’ dates from the early 1900s. Gangsters first abducted their victims, then took them to a secluded area where they were murdered.

The gang believes he is getting yellow-or soft, and usually takes him for a ride…. (Emanuel H. La vine, The Third Degree, 1930)

Take for a ride also means ‘deceive, cheat’ because the driver is in a position to manipulate or trick. The expression is often used of one who leads another on and then fleeces him.

But the one who really took my friend for a ride was the electrician. He used more … cable … than … it takes to build a battle ship. (Roger W. Babson, in a syndicated newspaper column, 1951)

turn one’s face to the wall To die; more precisely, to make the final gesture of acquiescence indicating that one is about to give up the ghost. The origin is Biblical (2 Kings 22:2); when Hezekiah was informed his death was imminent:

He turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the Lord.

The expression appears in works as varied as Narratives of the Days of the Reformation (1579):

He turned his face to the wall in the said belfry; and so after his prayers slept sweetly in the lord.

and Tom’sawyer (1876):

He would turn his face to the wall, and die with that word unsaid. (Mark Twain)

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	death - the event of dying or departure from life; "her death came as a terrible shock"; "upon your decease the capital will pass to your grandchildren"decease, expiryalteration, change, modification - an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another; "the change was intended to increase sales"; "this storm is certainly a change for the worse"; "the neighborhood had undergone few modifications since his last visit years ago"fatality, human death - a death resulting from an accident or a disaster; "a decrease in the number of automobile fatalities"martyrdom - death that is imposed because of the person's adherence of a religious faith or causemegadeath - the death of a million people; "they calibrate the effects of atom bombs in megadeaths"exit, expiration, going, passing, departure, release, loss - euphemistic expressions for death; "thousands mourned his passing"wrongful death - a death that results from a wrongful act or from negligence; a death that can serve as the basis for a civil action for damages on behalf of the dead person's family or heirsnascence, nascency, nativity, birth - the event of being born; "they celebrated the birth of their first child"
	2.	death - the permanent end of all life functions in an organism or part of an organism; "the animal died a painful death"organic phenomenon - (biology) a natural phenomenon involving living plants and animalscell death, necrobiosis - (physiology) the normal degeneration and death of living cells (as in various epithelial cells)necrosis, sphacelus, gangrene, mortification - the localized death of living cells (as from infection or the interruption of blood supply)brain death, cerebral death - death when respiration and other reflexes are absent; consciousness is gone; organs can be removed for transplantation before the heartbeat stops
	3.	death - the absence of life or state of being dead; "he seemed more content in death than he had ever been in life"state - the way something is with respect to its main attributes; "the current state of knowledge"; "his state of health"; "in a weak financial state"eternal rest, eternal sleep, quietus, sleep, rest - euphemisms for death (based on an analogy between lying in a bed and in a tomb); "she was laid to rest beside her husband"; "they had to put their family pet to sleep"defunctness, extinction - no longer in existence; "the extinction of a species"neonatal death - death of a liveborn infant within the first 28 days of lifecot death, crib death, infant death, SIDS, sudden infant death syndrome - sudden and unexpected death of an apparently healthy infant during sleep
	4.	death - the time when something ends; "it was the death of all his plans"; "a dying of old hopes"demise, dyinglifespan, lifetime, life-time, life - the period during which something is functional (as between birth and death); "the battery had a short life"; "he lived a long and happy life"grave - death of a person; "he went to his grave without forgiving me"; "from cradle to grave"end, ending - the point in time at which something ends; "the end of the year"; "the ending of warranty period"birth - the time when something begins (especially life); "they divorced after the birth of the child"; "his election signaled the birth of a new age"
	5.	death - the time at which life ends; continuing until dead; "she stayed until his death"; "a struggle to the last"lastend, ending - the point in time at which something ends; "the end of the year"; "the ending of warranty period"
	6.	Death - the personification of death; "Death walked the streets of the plague-bound city"
	7.	death - a final state; "he came to a bad end"; "the so-called glorious experiment came to an inglorious end"destruction, endstate - the way something is with respect to its main attributes; "the current state of knowledge"; "his state of health"; "in a weak financial state"
	8.	death - the act of killing; "he had two deaths on his conscience"kill, putting to death, killing - the act of terminating a life

death

noun1. dying, demise, bereavement, end, passing, release, loss, departure, curtains (informal), cessation, expiration, decease, quietus There had been a death in the family.
dying birth2. destruction, ending, finish, ruin, wiping out, undoing, extinction, elimination, downfall, extermination, annihilation, obliteration, ruination the death of everything he had ever hoped for
destruction beginning, rise, growth, emergence3. (sometimes capital) the Grim Reaper, the Angel of Death, the Dark Angel Carrying a long scythe is the hooded figure of Death.at death's door dying, going, sinking, passing, failing, fading, expiring, perishing, ebbing, moribund, in extremis (Latin), at death's door, not long for this world He was at death's door when the disease was finally diagnosed.death knell doom, death sentence, beginning of the end, death warrant, near end the death knell of the UK motor industryput someone to death execute, kill, shoot, murder, slaughter, annihilate, exterminate, send to the electric chair, send to the gas chamber The rebels were put to death for treason.Related words
adjectives fatal, lethal, mortal
like necromania, thanatomania
fear thanatophobiaQuotations
"Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return" Bible: Genesis
"Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee" [John Donne LXXX Sermons]
"To die completely, a person must not only forget but be forgotten, and he who is not forgotten is not dead" [Samuel Butler Notebooks]
"Death, the most dreaded of evils, is therefore of no concern to us; for while we exist death is not present, and when death is present we no longer exist" [Epicurus letter to Menoeceus]
"One dies only once, and it's for such a long time" [Molière Le Dépit Amoureux]
"Anyone can stop a man's life, but no one his death; a thousand doors open on to it" [Seneca Phoenissae]
"Death hath ten thousand doors"
"For men to take their exits" [John Webster The Duchess of Malfi]
"After the first death, there is no other" [Dylan Thomas A refusal to mourn the death, by fire, of a child in London]
"Revenge triumphs over death; love slights it; honour aspireth to it; grief flieth to it" [Francis Bacon Essays]
"Fear death? - to feel the fog in my throat,"
"The mist in my face" [Robert Browning Prospice]
"Death never takes the wise man by surprise; he is always ready to go" [Jean de la Fontaine Fables]
"If there wasn't death, I think you couldn't go on" [Stevie Smith]
"My name is Death: the last best friend am I" [Robert Southey The Curse of Kehama]
"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" Bible: I Corinthians
"Fear of death is worse than death itself" [William Shakespeare King Lear]
"I have been half in love with easeful death" [John Keats Ode to a Nightingale]
"How wonderful is death,"
"Death and his brother sleep!" [Percy Bysshe Shelley Queen Mab]
"Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil" Bible: Psalm 23
"Death be not proud, though some have called thee"
"Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so" [John Donne Holy Sonnets]
"We all labour against our own cure, for death is the cure of all diseases" [Thomas Browne Religio Medici]
"Men fear death as children fear to go in the dark; and as that natural fear in children is increased with tales, so is the other" [Francis Bacon Essays]
"There is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval" [George Santayana Soliloquies in England]
"In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes" [Benjamin Franklin letter to Jean Baptiste Le Roy]Proverbs
"Death is the great leveller"

death

noun1. The act or fact of dying:decease, demise, dissolution, extinction, passing, quietus, rest.Slang: curtain (used in plural).2. A termination of life, usually as the result of an accident or a disaster:casualty, fatality.

Translations

死亡灭亡致死的原因

death

(deθ) noun1. the act of dying. There have been several deaths in the town recently; Most people fear death.灭亡2. something which causes one to die. Smoking too much was the death of him.致死的原因3. the state of being dead. eyes closed in death.死亡ˈdeathly adjective, adverb as if caused by death. a deathly silence; It was deathly quiet. 死（一样）的 ˈdeath-bed noun the bed in which a person dies. 临死所卧之床ˈdeath certificate an official piece of paper signed by a doctor stating the cause of someone's death. 死亡证书at death's door on the point of dying. 生命危在旦夕catch one's death (of cold) to get a very bad cold. If you go out in that rain without a coat you'll catch your death (of cold).得致命的感冒put to death to cause to be killed. The criminal was put to death by hanging.处死to death very greatly. I'm sick to death of you.极度

death

→ 死亡zhCN

death

the cessation of life. There is no statutory definition, nor, indeed, a fixed definition at common law. In relation to medical treatment, the court may consider that a person's being in a persistent vegetative state is sufficient to indicate that his or her life need no longer be preserved by artificial means, while not accepting the concept of euthanasia. It is important in many different legal contexts. Absence of brain-stem activity is coming to be recognized as a sound practical test.

Wills take effect on death. For many legal purposes it is possible to obtain a court order declaring that a person died on a certain date by virtue of a presumption of death, which comes into effect in both England and Scotland if a person has not been known to be alive for seven years.

DEATH, med. jur., crim. law, evidence. The cessation of life.
2. It is either natural, as when it happens in the usual course, without any violence; or violent, when it is caused either by the acts of the deceased, or those of others. Natural death will not be here considered further than may be requisite to illustrate the manner in which violent death occurs. A violent death is either accidental or criminal; and the criminal act was committed by the deceased, or by another.
3. The subject will be considered, 1. As it relates to medical jurisprudence; and, 2. With regard to its effects upon the rights of persons.
4.-1. It is the office of medical jurisprudence, by the light and information which it can bestow, to aid in the detection of crimes against the persons of others, in order to subject them to the punishment which is awarded by the criminal law. Medical men are very frequently called upon to make examinations of the bodies of persons. who have been found dead, for the purpose of ascertaining the causes of their death. When it is recollected that the honor, the fortune, and even the life of the citizen, as well as the distribution of impartial justice, frequently depend on these examinations, one cannot but be struck at the responsibility which rests upon such medical men, particularly when the numerous qualities which are indispensably requisite to form a correct judgment, are considered. In order to form a correct opinion, the physician must be not only skilled in his art, but he must have made such examinations his special study. A man may be an enlightened physician, and yet he may find it exceedingly difficult to resolve, properly, the grave and almost always complicated questions which arise in cases of this kind. Judiciary annals, unfortunately, afford but too many examples of the fatal mistakes made by physicians, and others, when considering cases of violent deaths.
5. In the examination of bodies of persons who have come to a violent death, every precaution should be taken to ascertain the situation of the place where the body was found; as to whether the ground appears to have been disturbed from its natural condition; whether there are any marks of footsteps, their size, their number, the direction to which they lead, and whence they came - whether any traces of blood or hair can be found - and whether any, and what weapons or instruments, which could have caused death, are found in the vicinity; and these instruments should be carefully preserved so that they may be identified. A case or two may here be mentioned, to show the importance of examining the ground in order to ascertain the facts. Mr. Jeffries was murdered at Walthamstow, in England, in 1751, by his niece and servant. The perpetrators were suspected from the single circumstance that the dew on the ground surrounding the house had not been disturbed on the morning of the murder. Mr. Taylor, of Hornsey, was murdered in December, 1818, and his body thrown into the river. It was evident he, had not gone into the river willingly, as the hands were found clenched and contained grass, which, in the struggle, he had torn from the bank. The marks of footsteps, particularly in the snow, have been found, not unfrequently, to correspond with the shoes or feet of suspected persons, and led to their detection. Paris, Med. Jur. vol. iii. p. 38, 41.
6. In the survey of the body the following rules should be observed: 1. It should be as thoroughly examined as possible without changing its position or that of any of the limbs; this is particularly desirable when, from appearances, the death has been caused by a wound, because by moving it, the altitude of the extremities may be altered, or the state of a fracture or luxation changed; for the internal parts vary in their position with one another, according to the general position of the body. When it is requisite to remove it, it should be done with great caution. 2. The clothes should be removed, as far as necessary, and it should be noted what compresses or bandages (if any) are applied to particular parts, and to what extent. 3. The color of the skin, the temperature of the body, the rigidity or flexibility of the extremities, the state of the eyes, and of the sphincter muscles, noting at the same time whatever swellings, ecchymosis, or livid, black, or yellow spots, wounds, ulcer, contusion, fracture, or luxation may be present. The fluids from the nose, mouth, ears, sexual organs, &c., should be examined; and, when the deceased is a female, it may be proper to examine the sexual organs with care, in order to ascertain whether before death she was ravished or not. 1 Briand, Med. Leg. 2eme partio, ch. 1, art. 3, n. 5, p. 318. 4. The clothes of the deceased should be carefully examined, and if parts are torn or defaced, this fact should be noted. A list should also be made of the articles found on the body, and of their state or condition, as whether the purse of the deceased had been opened; whether he had any money, &c. 5. The state of the body as to decomposition should be, particularly stated, as by this it may sometimes be ascertained when the death took place; experience proves that in general after the expiration of fourteen days After death, decomposition has so far advanced, that identity cannot be ascertained, excepting in somestrongly developed peculiarity; but in a drowned body, adipocire is not produced until five or six weeks after death but this depends upon circumstance's, and varies according to climate, season, &c. It is exceedingly important, however to keep this fact in view in some judicial inquiries relative to the time of death. 1 Chit. Med. Jur. 443. A memorandum should be made of all the facts as they are ascertained when possible, it should be made on the ground, but when this cannot be done, as when chemical experiments are to be made, or the body is to be dissected, they should be made in the place where these operations are performed. 1 Beck's Med. Jur. 5; Dr. Gordon Smith, 505; Ryan's Med. Jur. 145; Dr. Male's Elem. of Judicial and For. Med. 101; 3 Paris & Fonbl. Med. Jur. 23 to 25; Vilanova Y Manes, Materia Criminal Forense, Obs. 11, cap. 7, n. 7; Trebuchet, Medecine Legale, 12, et seq; 1 Briand, Med. Leg. 2eme partie, ch. 1, art. 5. Vide article Circumstances.
7.-2. In examining the law as to the effect which death has upon the rights of others, it will be proper to consider, 1. What is the presumption of life or death. 2. The effects of a man's death.
8.-1. It is a general rule, that persons who are proved to have been living, will be presumed to be alive till the contrary is proved and when the issue is upon the death of a person, the proof of the fact lies upon the party who asserts the death. 2 East, 312; 2 Rolle's R. 461. But when a person has been absent for a long time, unheard from, the law will presume him to be dead. It has been adjudged, that after twenty-seven years 3 Bro. C. C. 510; twenty years in another case; sixteen years; 5 Ves. 458; fourteen years; 3 Serg. & Rawle, 390 twelve years; 18 John. R. 141; seven years; 6 East, 80, 85; and even five years Finch's R. 419; the presumption of death arises. It seems that even seven years has been agreed as the time when death may in general be presumed. 1 Phil. Ev. 159. See 24 Wend. R. 221; 4 Whart. R. 173. By the civil law, if any woman marry again without certain intelligence of the death of her husband, how long soever otherwise her husband be absent from her, both she and he who married her shall be punished as adulterers. Authentics, 8th Coll.; Ridley's View of the Civ. and Ecc. Law, 82.
9. The survivorship of two or more is to be proved by facts, and not by any settled legal rule, or prescribed presumption. 5 B. Adolp. 91; 27 E. C. L. R. 45; Cro. Eliz. 503 Bac. Ab. Execution D; 2 Phillim. 261; 1 Mer. R. 308; 3 Hagg. Eccl. R. 748; But see 1 Yo. & Coll. C. N. 121; 1 Curt. R. 405, 406, 429. In the following cases, no presumption of survivorship was held to arise; where two men, the father and son, were hanged about the same time, and one was seen to struggle a little longer than the other; Cor. Eliz. 503; in the case of General Stanwix, who perished at sea in the same vessel with his daughter; 1 Bl. R. 610; and in the case of Taylor and his wife, who also perished by being wrecked at sea with her, to whom he had bequeathed the principal part of his fortune. 2 Phillim. R. 261; S. C. 1 Eng. Eccl. R. 250. Vide Fearne on Rem. iv.; Poth. Obl. by Evans, vol. ii., p. 345; 1 Beck's Med. Jur. 487 to 502. The Code Civil of France has provided for most, perhaps all possible cases, art. 720, 721 and 722. The provisions have been transcribed in the Civil Code of Louisiana, in these words:
10. Art. 930. If several persons respectively entitled to inherit from one another, happen to perish in the same event, such as a wreck, a battle, or a conflagration, without any possibility of ascertaining who died first, the presumption of survivorship is determined by the circumstances of the fact.
11. Art. 931. lu defect of the circumstances of the fact, the determination must be guided by the probabilities resulting from the strength, ages, and difference of sex, according to the following rules.
12. Art. 932. If those who have perished together were under the age of fifteen years, the eldest shall be presumed to have survived. If both were of the age of sixty-years, the youngest shall be presumed to have survived. If some were under fifteen years, and some above sixty, the first shall be presumed to have survived.
13. Art. 933. If those who perished together, were above the age of fifteen years, and under sixty, the male must be presumed to have survived, where there was an equality of age, or a difference of less than one year. If they were of the same sex, the presumption of survivorship, by which the succession becomes open in the order of nature, must be admitted; thus the younger must be presumed to have survived the elder.
14.-2. The death of a man, as to its effects on others, may be considered with regard, 1. To his contracts. 2. Torts committed by or against him. 3. The disposition of his estate; and, 4. To the liability or discharge of his bail.
15.-1st. The contracts of a deceased person are in general not affected by his death, and his executors or administrators are required to fulfill his engagements, and may enforce those in his favor. But to this general rule there are some exceptions; some contracts are either by the terms employed in making them, or by implication of law, to continue only during the life of the contracting party. Among these may be mentioned the following cases: 1. The contract of marriage. 2. The partnership of individuals. The contract of partnership is dissolved by death, unless otherwise provided for. Indeed the partnership will be dissolved by the death of one or more of the partners, and its effects upon the other partners or third persons will be the same, whether they have notice of the death or otherwise. 3 Mer. R. 593; Story, Partn. Sec. 319, 336, 343; Colly. Partn. 71; 2 Bell's Com. 639, 5th ed.; 3 Kent, Com. 56, 4th ed.; Gow, Partn. 351; 1 Molloy, R. 465; 15 Ves. 218; S. C. 2 Russ. R. 325.; 3. Contracts which are altogether personal; as, for example, where the deceased had agreed to accompany the other party to the contract, on a journey, or to serve another; Poth. Ob. P. 3, c. 7, a. 3, Sec. 2 and 3; or to instruct an apprentice. Bac. Ab. Executor, P; 1 Burn's Just. 82, 3; Hamm. on Part. 157; 1 Rawle's R. 61.
16. The death of either a constituent or of an attorney puts an end to the power of attorney. To recall such power two things are necessary; 1st. The will or intention to recall; and, 2d. Special notice or general authority. Death is a sufficient recall of such power, answering both requisites. Either it is, according to one hypothesis, the intended termination of the authority or, according to the other, the cessation of that will, the existence of which is requisite to the existence of the attorney's power; while on either supposition, the event is, or is supposed to be, notorious. But exceptions are admitted where the death is unknown, and the authority, in the meanwhile, is in action, and relied on. 3 T. R. 215; Poth; Ob. n. 448.
17.-2d. In general, when the tort feasor or the party who has received the injury dies, the action for the recovery of the damages dies with him; but when the deceased might have waived the tort, and maintained assumpsit against the defendant, his personal representative may do the same thing. See the article Actio Personalis moriturcum persona, where this subject is more fully examined. When a person accused and guilty of crime dies before trial, no proceedings can be had against his representatives or his estate.
18.-3d. By the death of a person seised of real estate, or possessed of personal property at the time of his death; his property vests when he has made his will, as he has directed by that instrument; but when he dies intestate, his real estate vests in his heirs at law by descent, and his personal property, whether in possession or in action, belongs to his executors or administrators.
19.-4th. The death of a defendant discharges the special bail. Tidd, Pr. 243; but when he dies after the return of the ca. sa., and before it is filed, the bail are fixed. 6 T. R. 284; 5 Binn. R. 332, 338; 2 Mass. R. 485; 1 N. H. Rep. 172; 12 Wheat. 604; 4 John. R. 407; 3 McCord, R. 49; 4 Pick. R. 120; 4 N. H. Rep. 29.
20. Death is also divided into natural and civil.
21. Natural death is the cessation of life.
22. Civil death is the state of a person who, though possessing natural life, has lost all his civil rights, and, as to them, is considered as dead. A person convicted and attainted of felony, and sentenced to the state prison for life, is, in the state of New York, in consequence of the act of 29th of March, 1799, and by virtue of the conviction and sentence of imprisonment for life, to be considered as civilly dead. 6 Johns. C R. 118; 4 Johns. C. R. 228, 260; Laws of N. Y. Sess. 24, ch. 49, s. 29, 30, 31; 1 N. R. L. 157, 164; Co. Litt. 130, a; 3 Inst. 215; 1 Bl. Com. 132, 133; 4 Bl. Com. 332; 4 Vin. Ab. 152. See. Code Civ. art. 22 a 25; 1 Toull. n. 280 and p. 254, 5, note; also, pp. 243-5, n. 272; 1 Malleville's Discussion of the Code Civil, 45, 49, 51, 57. Biret, Vocab. au mot Effigie.
23. Death of a partner. The following effects follow the death of a partner, namely: 1. The partnership is dissolved, unless otherwise provided for by the articles of partnership. Gow's Partn. 429. 2. The representatives of the deceased partner become tenants in common with the survivor in all partnership effects in possession. 3. Choses in action so far survive that the right to reduce them into possession vests exclusively in the survivor. 4. When recovered, the representatives of the deceased partner have, in, equity, the same right of sharing and participating in them that their testator or intestate would have had had he been living. 5. It is the duty and the right of the surviving partner to settle the affairs of the firm, for which he is not allowed any compensation. 6. The surviving partner is alone to be sued at law for debts of the firm, yet recourse can be had in equity against the assets of the deceased debtor. Gow's Partn. 460. Vide Capital Crime; Dissolution; Firm; Partners; Partnership; Punishment. See, generally, Bouv. Inst. Index, h.t.

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Definition

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Terminal illness

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DEATH

death

Synonyms for death

noun dying

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noun destruction

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noun the Grim Reaper

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phrase at death's door

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phrase death knell

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phrase put someone to death

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Synonyms for death

noun the act or fact of dying

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noun a termination of life, usually as the result of an accident or a disaster

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Synonyms for death

noun the event of dying or departure from life

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Antonyms

noun the permanent end of all life functions in an organism or part of an organism

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noun the absence of life or state of being dead

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noun the time when something ends