(This feature is moving over from the Scrambled Toast blog.)
Do you have a moribund? Do you feel moribund? What exactly does moribund mean?
A. An over-sized Bundt cake.
B. Near death or stagnant.
C. A lizard found in the southwestern United States.
D. Agitated and apprehensive.
E. Wrapped in cloth or dressing, as a wound.
If you read horror stories or know some Latin, you probably know or could guess that moribund means … near death or stagnant.
In Latin, moribundus means “dying”–as in “mortal”. So although moribundus sounds like abundance, it’s anything but.
Moribund is an old-fashioned word that seems to be itself moribund. Simpler words like “dying” or “stagnant” or “obsolete” are efficient replacements. Still, moribund carries a certain atmosphere of decay and antiquity these simpler words lack. Perhaps that’s why it’s still in use today.
Hi, Brad, Glad to see that the “Words for Nerds” has migrated, and is not disappearing! I look forward to it regularly; it’s so much more FUN than “Word of the Day”!
I love the words for nerds!
I’ve just posted a list of my favorite blogs related to writing, and you’re on it.
It’s always good to expand your vocab. It may take a bit of thought to fit moribund into one of my articles though.
Olivia, nice to hear from you! Lillie, thank you!! Simon, you’re probably right. I looked for literary references to moribund and only found about three.