† morthn.

Forms: Old English–Middle English morþ, Old English–Middle English morð, Middle English morde, Middle English morth, Middle English murth, Middle English murthe; Scottish pre-1700 murth.

Origin: A word inherited from Germanic.

Etymology: Cognate with Old Frisian morth , Middle Dutch moort , mord , mort (Dutch moord ), Old Saxon morth (Middle Low German mort ), Old High German mord (Middle High German mort , German Mord ), Old Icelandic morð , Old Swedish morþ (Swedish mord ), Norwegian mord , Danish mord , ultimately < the same Indo-European base as classical Latin mort- , mors death (see mort n.¹) and (with different suffix) murder n.¹ (see discussion at that entry).

Obsolete.

Murder, slaughter; an instance of this.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > death > killing > slaughter > [noun]

sleightc893

wal-slaught?a900

qualeeOE

deathOE

swordc1000

morthOE

slaughta1225

destroyingc1300

drepingc1300

martyrdomc1325

murderc1325

mortc1330

sleighterc1330

slaughter1338

iron and firea1387

murraina1387

manslaughtera1400

martyre?a1400

quella1425

occision?a1430

decease1513

destruction1526

slaughting1535

butchery?1536

butchering1572

massacrea1578

slaughterdom1592

slaughtering1597

carnage1600

massacring1600

slaughtery1604

internecion1610

decimationa1613

destroy1616

trucidation1623

stragea1632

sword-wrack1646

interemption1656

carnifice1657

panolethry1668

butcher work1808

bloodbath1814

populicide1824

man-slaughtering1851

battue1864

mass murder1917

genocide1944

overkill1957

OE tr. Orosius Hist. (Tiber.) (1980) i. viii. 27 Þonne hi swylc geblot & swylc morð donde wæron swylc her ær beforan sæde.

c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 9849 Hu heo mihten þene king mid morðe aquellen.

c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 14329 Heo wolden..for-saken Modredes sune, þæ þat morð wrohte.

c1300 Life & Martyrdom Thomas Becket (Harl. 2277) (1845) l. 2176 (MED) Ne that for his fader deth so sori man he nas, Ne for his morde nothemo as he for him was.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 1072 (MED) Wit murth [a1400 Gött. murther] he did his broiþer o lijf.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 27838 (MED) O couaitise..cums..Morth [a1425 Galba Morther], brinning, manslaghter and suik.

c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) 1279 (MED) To Alexander onone þas auntirs him tellis: Þe morth [a1500 Trin. Dub. morte] of all þe Messedone.

c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy 13063 Menelay..To Orestes..angardly sade Noght to rest in his Rewme..ffor the murthe of his moder, he martired so foule.

1802 J. Gibbald Chron. Sc. Poetry IV. (glossary) s.v. Murth, Morth, murder.]

Compounds

morthdeed n. an evil deed; spec. (a) a mortal sin; (b) a murder.

ΚΠ

OE Ælfric Let. to Wulfgeat (Hatton) in B. Assmann Angelsächsische Homilien u. Heiligenleben (1889) 8 Yrre and anda us synd forbodene, manslyht and morðdæda and ealle manlice þing.

lOE Laws of Æðelstan (Rochester) ii. vi. 152 We cwædon be þam wiccecræftum & be liblacum & be morðdædum.

lOE St. Margaret (Corpus Cambr.) (1994) 164 Sume [ic beswac] mid slehte and sume on some; sume on morðdædum and sume mid oðres mannes wife gehæmdon.

c1175 ( Ælfric Martyrdom of St. Vincent in W. W. Skeat Ælfric's Lives of Saints (1900) II. 434 Þa ðe wæron forscyldegode, oþþe þurh manslihte oððe þurh morþdæda, oððe þurh drycræft, oððe dyrne forliger.

c1225 (?OE) Soul's Addr. to Body (Worcester) (Fragm. E) l. 15 Þonne scalt þu, erming, up arisen, imeten þine morþdeden..seoruhful and sorimod so þin lif wrouhte.

morth game n. murderous play, murder.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > death > killing > man-killing or homicide > murder or assassination > [noun]

murderingeOE

murderOE

banec1175

morth gamec1275

morth spellc1275

slaughterc1325

murdermenta1400

murderdom1514

massacre1589

remove1592

assassinate1596

assassinment1602

assassination1610

assassinacy1611

assassinaya1641

removal1655

murderation1715

murdrum1767

thugdom1839

aliicide1868

hatchet job1925

liquidation1925

rubout1927

murder one1966

neutralization1971

c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 11431 Moni þer feollen. for heore mucchele mode morð-gomen wrohten.

morth spell n. (perhaps) talk about murder, murderous talk.

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