- die
- diedie1 [dī]vi.died, dying [ME dien < ON deyja < IE base * dheu-, to pass away, become senseless > OS doian, to die, OE dead, OHG tot, dead]1. to stop living; become dead2. to suffer the agony of death or an agony regarded as like it3.a) to cease existing; endb) to stop functioning4. to lose force or activity; become weak, faint, unimportant, etc.5. to fade or wither away6. to become alien or indifferent (to), as if dead7. to pine away, as with desire8. Informal to wish with extreme intensity; yearn [she's dying to learn the secret]9. Theol. to suffer spiritual death——————die awayto become weaker and cease gradually: also die down——————die backto wither to the roots or woody part: also die down——————die hardto cling to life, a cause, etc.; resist to the last——————die offto die one by one until all are gone——————die outto go out of existenceSYN.- DIE1 is the basic, simple, direct word meaning to stop living or to become dead; DECEASE, EXPIRE, and pass away (see PASS2, vi. 7) are all euphemisms, DECEASE being also the legal term, EXPIRE meaning literally to breathe one's last breath, and pass away suggesting a coming to an end; PERISH implies death by a violent means or under difficult circumstancesdie2 [dī]n.pl. for DIE2 1 & 2, dice; for DIE2 3 & 4, dies [dīs] [dīz] [ME de (pl. dis) < OFr de < VL * datum, orig. neut of L datus: see DATE1]1. a small, marked cube used in games of chance: see also DICE2. any small cube resembling this3. Archit. a dado of a pedestal4. Mech. any of various tools or devices, originally cubical in form, for molding, stamping, cutting, or shaping; specif.,a) a piece of engraved metal used for stamping money, medals, etc.b) the stationary part of a machine for shaping or punching holes in sheet metal, etc.; matrix: distinguished from PUNCH1c) the punch and matrix as a unitd) a tool used for cutting threads, as of screws or boltse) a piece of metal with a hole through it, used in drawing wire, extruding rods, etc.vt.died, dieingto mold, stamp, cut, or shape with a die——————the die is cast[transl. of L jacta est alea, ascribed to Caesar at the Rubicon] the irrevocable decision has been made
English World dictionary. V. Neufeldt. 2014.
