Where Does the Word Mortifying Come from?

The first records of the word mortification come from the second half of the 1300s. It ultimately comes from the Late Latin verb mortificāre, meaning “to put to death,” from Latin mors, “death,” and the verb facere, “to do.” Mors is the root of many other death-related words, like mortal.

What is the meaning for mortifying?

1 : to subject to severe and vexing embarrassment : shame was no longer mortified by comparisons between her sisters' beauty and her own— Jane Austen. 2 : to subdue or deaden (the body, bodily appetites, etc.) especially by abstinence or self-inflicted pain or discomfort mortified his body for spiritual purification.

What is the origin of the word mortification?

The first records of the word mortification come from the second half of the 1300s. It ultimately comes from the Late Latin verb mortificāre, meaning “to put to death,” from Latin mors, “death,” and the verb facere, “to do.” Mors is the root of many other death-related words, like mortal.