verb
mourir
die
C'est quand un être vivant cesse de vivre et que son corps ne fonctionne plus.
Word: mourir
Language: French
Meaning:
The verb mourir means "to die" in English.
Explanation:
Type of word:
- Mourir is an irregular verb in French.
- It is a verb of movement and change of state (ending life).
Conjugation example (present tense):
- Je meurs (I die)
- Tu meurs (You die)
- Il/Elle meurt (He/She dies)
- Nous mourons (We die)
- Vous mourez (You die, formal/plural)
- Ils/Elles meurent (They die)
Meaning details:
-
Primary meaning:
To cease living; to stop breathing or functioning as a living being. -
Figurative Use:
- Can be used figuratively to imply the end or failure of something non-living, e.g., La plante est en train de mourir ("The plant is dying").
- It can also refer to “dying” in a metaphorical sense such as emotions, hopes, or enthusiasm diminishing:
- Il meurt d'ennui ("He’s dying of boredom").
- Cette mode est morte ("This fashion is dead").
Parts of the word:
- Comes from Latin mori, carrying the same meaning.
- It is irregular in conjugation and requires memorizing different stem forms (like meur- and mour-).
Synonyms (depending on context):
- Décéder (to pass away) - more polite/formal than mourir.
- Périr (to perish) – often used in literary or formal contexts.
- S'éteindre (to go out, to die – used poetically or softly).
- Trépasser (archaic/formal, to pass away).
Antonyms:
- Naître (to be born)
- Vivre (to live)
Summary:
- Mourir means to die, both literally (cessation of life) and figuratively (end of something).
- Irregular verb important in conversations about death or figurative endings.
- Has many related words that convey nuances of death or cessation with varying formality and connotations.
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Examples
Personne ne veut mourir jeune.verb
Nobody wants to die young.
Beaucoup de gens ont peur de mourir.verb
Many people are afraid to die.
Elle pense qu’on ne doit pas mourir seul.verb
She thinks that one should not die alone.
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