mors, tis, f. [root mor, v. morior] (dat. morte, Varr. ap. Gell. 24), death in every form, natural or violent (syn.: letum, nex).
I Lit.: omnium rerum mors est extremum, Cic. Fam. 6, 21, 1: mors ultima linea rerum est, Hor. Ep. 1, 16, 79: mortem sibi consciscere, to kill one's self , Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 56, § 129: obire, to die , id. Phil. 5, 17, 48; Plaut. Aul. prol. 15: nam necessest me ... cras mortem exequi, id. Ps. 4, 2, 38: certae occumbere morti, to submit to , Verg. A. 2, 62: aliquem ad mortem dare, to put to death, kill , Plaut. Am. 2, 2, 177: morti, Hor. S. 2, 3, 197: aliquem morte multare, Cic. Tusc. 1, 22, 50; so, per vim, id. Verr. 2, 1, 5, § 14: morte multatus, id. Tusc. 1, 40, 97; Tac. A. 6, 9; Plin. Ep. 8, 14, 15; Lact. 2, 9, 24: morte punire, Plin. Ep. 8, 14, 12; Tac. A. 4, 44; 11, 18: mortis poena, Cic. Cat. 4, 4, 7: morti addici, id. Off. 3, 10, 45: omne humanum genus morte damnatum est, Sen. Ep. 71, 15: Antonius civium suorum vitae sedebat mortisque arbiter, Sen. Polyb. 16, 2: vitae et mortis habere potestatem, Vulg. Sap. 16, 13: illata per scelus, assassination , Cic. Mil. 7, 17: ad mortem se offerre pro patriā, id. Tusc. 1, 15, 32: afferre, Serv. ap. Cic. Fam. 4, 12, 2: multare aliquem usque ad mortem, Ter. Ad. 89: morte cadere, Hor. C. 4, 2, 15: morte acerbissimā affici, Serv. ap. Cic. Fam. 4, 12, 2: multare, id. de Or. 1, 43, 100: ad mortem duci, id. Tusc. 1, 42, 100: cui legatio ipsa morti fuisset, brought death , id. Phil. 9, 1, 3: imperfecta, blindness , Stat. Th. 11, 582: morte suā mori, to die a natural death : bella res est, mori suā morte, Sen. Ep. 69, 6: mors suprema, Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 173; Sil. 5, 416: mortis fine, Boëth. Consol. 2, 7: quae rapit ultima mors est, Lucil. ap. Sen. Ep. 24, 20: proximus morti = moriens, Aug. Civ. Dei, 22, 8; Ap. Met. 1, 12, 18; cf.: morti vicinus, Aug. Serm. 306, 10; Hier. in Joel, 1, 13 al.; cf.: cui, mors cum appropinquet, Cic. Fin. 5, 11, 31: cujus aetati mors propior erat, Sall. H. 2, 41, 9: adpropinquante morte, Cic. Div. 1, 30, 64 sq.: ut prorogetur tibi dies mortis, Sen. Ben. 5, 17, 6: circa mortis diem, id. Ep. 27, 2: mansurum est vitium usque ad diem mortis, Cels. 7, 7, 15 init. —Poet.: mors sola fatetur quantula sint hominum corpuscula, Juv. 10, 173. —In plur.: mortes, when several persons are spoken of: praeclarae mortes sunt imperatoriae, Cic. Fin. 2, 30, 97; so Hor. S. 1, 3, 108: meorum, Plin. Ep. 8, 16, 1: perdere mortes, to throw away lives, to die in vain , Stat. Th. 9, 58: hinc subitae mortes, Juv. 1, 144.—Also of different forms or modes of death : omnīs per mortīs, Verg. A. 10, 854; cf.: omni imagine mortium, Tac. H. 3, 28; Sen. Clem. 1, 18, 2.—Rarely of an abstract thing: fere rerum omnium oblivio morsque memoriae, death, total loss , Plin. 14, 22, 28, § 142.—
B Personified.
1 Mors , a goddess, the daughter of Erebus and Nox , Cic. N. D. 3, 17, 44; Verg. A. 11, 197; Hyg. Fab. praef.—
2 (Eccl. Lat.) = eum qui habebat mortis imperium, id est, diabolum, Vulg. Heb. 2, 14; id. Isa. 28, 15; cf.: ero mors tua, o mors, id. Hos. 13, 14; id. Apoc. 6, 8.—
II Transf.
A A dead body, corpse (mostly poet.): morte campos contegi, with corpses , Att. ap. Non. 110, 31: mortem ejus (Clodii) lacerari, body, corpse , Cic. Mil. 32, 86; Cat. 64, 362; Prop. 3, 5, 22: vitis, quam juxta hominis mors laqueo pependerit, Plin. 14, 19, 23, § 119; Stat. Th. 1, 768.—Hence, jestingly, of an old man: odiosum est mortem amplexari, a corpse, a skeleton , Plaut. Bacch. 5, 2, 33.—
B Like φόνος, the blood shed by murder : ensem multā morte recepit, Verg. A. 9, 348.—
C That which brings death (of missiles), a deadly weapon (poet.): mille cavet lapsas circum cava tempora mortes, Stat. Th. 6, 792; Luc. 7, 517: per pectora saevas Exceptat mortes, Sil. 9, 369.—Of a sentence or threat of death: ut auferat a me mortem istam, Vulg. Ex. 10, 17; of terrible pangs and anxieties: contritiones mortis, id. 2 Reg. 22, 5: dolores mortis, id. Psa. 18, 4; 116, 3; of a cruel and murderous officer: aderat mors terrorque sociorum et civium lictor Sestius, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 45, § 118.—
D Esp. (eccl. Lat.): mors secunda, the second death, future punishment , Vulg. Apoc. 2, 11; 20, 6; 14: mors alone, id. 1 Joh. 5, 16; also spiritual death , that of a soul under the dominion of sin: stimulus mortis peccatum est, id. 1 Cor. 15, 56; Rom. 8, 6 et saep.; cf. Lact. 7, 10 fin.