mortify
[ mawr-tuh-fahy ]
/ ˈmɔr təˌfaɪ /
verb (used with object), mor·ti·fied, mor·ti·fy·ing.
to humiliate or shame, as by injury to one's pride or self-respect.
to subjugate (the body, passions, etc.) by abstinence, ascetic discipline, or self-inflicted suffering.
Pathology. to affect with gangrene or necrosis.
verb (used without object), mor·ti·fied, mor·ti·fy·ing.
to practice mortification or disciplinary austerities.
Pathology. to undergo mortification; become gangrened or necrosed.
RELATED WORDS
annoy, disgrace, subdue, displease, chagrin, deflate, confound, vex, humiliate, control, discomfit, deny, ridicule, affront, chasten, belittle, humble, harass, crush, shame
Nearby words
- mortice,
- mortician,
- mortiferous,
- mortification,
- mortified,
- mortifying,
- mortimer,
- mortise,
- mortise block,
- mortise chisel
Origin of mortify
1350–1400; Middle English mortifien < Middle French mortifier < Late Latin mortificāre “to put to death,” equivalent to Latin morti- (stem of mors) “death” + -ficāre -fy
SYNONYMS FOR mortify
Synonym study
1. See ashamed.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for mortify
mortify
/ (ˈmɔːtɪˌfaɪ) /
verb -fies, -fying or -fied
(tr) to humiliate or cause to feel shame
(tr) Christianity to subdue and bring under control by self-denial, disciplinary exercises, etc
(intr) to undergo tissue death or become gangrenous
Word Origin for mortify
C14: via Old French from Church Latin mortificāre to put to death, from Latin mors death + facere to do
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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mortify
late 14c., "to kill," from Old French mortefiier "destroy, overwhelm, punish," from Late Latin mortificare "cause death, kill, put to death," literally "make dead," from mortificus "producing death," from Latin mors (genitive mortis) "death" (see mortal (adj.)) + root of facere "to make" (see factitious). Religious sense of "to subdue the flesh by abstinence and discipline" first attested early 15c. Sense of "humiliate" first recorded 1690s (cf. mortification). Related: Mortified; mortifying.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
mortify
[ môr′tə-fī′ ]
v.
To undergo mortification; to become gangrenous or to necrotize.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.