dead languages

1. Languages that are no longer spoken.

Some dead languages, such as Latin, ancient Greek, and Sanskrit, may nevertheless be studied by large numbers of people because of their literary or historical importance.

Example Sentences

All three were dead languages, but the Greek alphabet was still in use.

From New York Times

“Of all the mad things we humans do, there might be nothing more humbling, or more noble, than trying to translate the dead languages,” Zeno’s friend says.

From Washington Post

If she’s sending furtive messages, they’re so subtle, they might as well be Morse code wrapped in semaphore filtered through hieroglyphics and the dead languages of our forefathers eight generations back.

From Washington Post

Much of the commentary on “quid pro quo” has focussed on its Latin origins and suggested that its wide circulation might spark an interest in dead languages.

From The New Yorker

Somehow, Ben felt, dead languages could sway God more easily than a language soiled by everyday use.

From Literature