English word origin

Etymology of mort

From Middle English mort, from Old French mort (“death”).

5 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 5 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

Death; especially, the death of game in hunting. · A note sounded on a horn at the death of a deer. · The skin of a sheep or lamb that has died of disease. · A variety of dummy whist for three players.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English mort, from Old French mort (“death”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Root classification mention*mer-ine-pro
Inherited-form mentionmortenm
Derivation mentionmortfro

This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*mer-",
        "id": "die"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "mort"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English mort"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "mort",
        "4": "",
        "5": "death"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French mort (“death”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "mort",
      "mort#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "mort",
      "mort#Old_French"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Death; especially, the death of game in hunting.",
        "A note sounded on a horn at the death of a deer.",
        "The skin of a sheep or lamb that has died of disease.",
        "A variety of dummy whist for three players."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable",
        "Scotland",
        "UK",
        "dialectal"
      ],
      "recordId": "e62fa6456233d604d268dca124ef43ff296112b8b3687da23e72837e56607083",
      "rawRecordSha256": "ea02d0cac34a8f0b10dad1989ea27c0c532ebc137423eae2ab75555f236aa19a",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 231755
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 1,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

A great quantity or number.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Compare Icelandic margt, neuter of margr (“many”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Cognate mentionmargtis

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "margt"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic margt"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "margt",
      "margt#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "margr",
      "margr#Icelandic"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A great quantity or number."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "aff49bc9f4dc5345feaa2260c9380292c696ce09268592431f79cbe620b7cf19",
      "rawRecordSha256": "4646d7549e11da72602c9de3891c3db40bf23698c09040f1307e04c13091ecb6",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 231756
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

noun

A player in a multi-user dungeon who does not have special administrator privileges and whose character can be killed.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Clipping of mortal.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "clipping",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "mortal"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of mortal"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "mortal",
      "mortal#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A player in a multi-user dungeon who does not have special administrator privileges and whose character can be killed."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Internet",
        "informal"
      ],
      "recordId": "53eb70c8d1d48ed5bce53484ac98c3fd4a41a47a3dd07b38b0a6d1b60162dcd1",
      "rawRecordSha256": "9346682ef99448e1b4591a31e68ac24baa1a59f6165b93b36516e73e545935bc",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 231757
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗

noun

A three-year-old salmon.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Uncertain.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "unc",
      "args": {
        "1": "en"
      },
      "expansion": "Uncertain"
    }
  ],
  "links": [],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A three-year-old salmon."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "43477f4131b2c44877ddb71637e2196ab0971448013d4cc829d80ad9d9a4fae2",
      "rawRecordSha256": "657b8bfc62e0cb1be763bb3be8f5728a036d32982206ca4e2e13174ab4edfb16",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 231758
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 5

Original entry ↗

noun

A woman; a female.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

UK circa 1560–1890. Unknown. Documented possibilities include: * From mort (“A three-year-old salmon”), by equation of women with fish. * From Welsh modryb (“aunt”) * From Welsh morwyn (“maid, virgin”) * From French amourette (“a crush”) * From, or cognate with, Dutch mot (“pig, lewd woman”), from Middle Low German mutte. * From French motte (“mound, esp. mons veneris”) * From Romani mintš (“female genitals”). Cognate with English minge.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Derivation mentionmodrybcy
Derivation mentionmorwyncy
Derivation mentionamourettefr
Derivation mentionmotnl
Derivation mentionmuttegml
Derivation mentionmottefr
Derivation mentionmintšrom
Cognate mentionmingeen

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "unk",
      "args": {
        "1": "en"
      },
      "expansion": "Unknown"
    },
    {
      "name": "unk",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "title": "Unknown"
      },
      "expansion": "Unknown"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cy",
        "3": "modryb",
        "gloss": "aunt"
      },
      "expansion": "Welsh modryb (“aunt”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cy",
        "3": "morwyn",
        "gloss": "maid, virgin"
      },
      "expansion": "Welsh morwyn (“maid, virgin”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "amourette",
        "gloss": "a crush"
      },
      "expansion": "French amourette (“a crush”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "nl",
        "3": "mot",
        "gloss": "pig, lewd woman"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch mot (“pig, lewd woman”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gml",
        "3": "mutte"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Low German mutte"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "motte",
        "gloss": "mound, esp. mons veneris"
      },
      "expansion": "French motte (“mound, esp. mons veneris”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "rom",
        "3": "mintš",
        "gloss": "female genitals"
      },
      "expansion": "Romani mintš (“female genitals”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "minge"
      },
      "expansion": "English minge"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "mort",
      "mort#English"
    ],
    [
      "modryb",
      "modryb#Welsh"
    ],
    [
      "morwyn",
      "morwyn#Welsh"
    ],
    [
      "amourette",
      "amourette#French"
    ],
    [
      "mot",
      "mot#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "mutte",
      "mutte#Middle_Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "motte",
      "motte#French"
    ],
    [
      "mintš",
      "mintš#Romani"
    ],
    [
      "minge",
      "minge#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A woman; a female."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "obsolete"
      ],
      "recordId": "067a5e1958f1bc55b9e8d1e9c9f5fa1c2d4cd1fbce550e0105efb07df1e39935",
      "rawRecordSha256": "3800a4a7331714ee8e98272a1d34af5fa7698fc524d348087991e6de86a91abc",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 231759
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for mort →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-bW9ydA