moribund means approaching death; about to die; dying; expiring.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, moribund ranks #1,141 of 14,297 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #2,308 of 14,431 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #2,382 of 14,414 for Most Elegant Words, #2,580 of 14,456 for The Improbable.
moribund is pronounced /ˈmɔːɹɪbʌnd/.
Why “moribund” is a great word
In a state of dying or approaching death, or existing in a terminal decline toward obsolescence. From Latin *moribundus* ('dying'), from *mori* ('to die'), first attested in English in 1721. Unlike 'morbid' (which suggests a gruesome fascination with decay) or 'obsolescent' (which neutrally notes a fading from use), 'moribund' carries the full, figurative weight of a final ebbing. It is the dimming glow of a forgotten industry’s last furnace, the shallow gasp of a tradition kept alive only by ceremony, or the stagnant silence of a language whose final native speaker has just passed—not a sudden end, but the long, slow surrender to an inevitable absence.
Etymology
From Latin moribundus (“dying”).
adj
- Approaching death; about to die; dying; expiring.“These moribund shapes were free as air—and nearly as thin.”
- Almost obsolete; nearing an end.
noun
- A person who is near to dying.
Words closest in meaning
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