Search

[dahy-ing] /ˈdaɪ ɪŋ/

adjective
1.
ceasing to live; approaching ; expiring:
a dying man.
2.
of, relating to, or associated with :
his dying hour.
3.
given, uttered, or manifested just before :
her dying words.
4.
drawing to a close; ending:
the dying year.
noun
5.
the act or process of ceasing to live, ending, or drawing to a close.
[dahy] /daɪ/
verb (used without object), died, dying.
1.
to cease to live; undergo the complete and permanent cessation of all vital functions; become dead.
2.
(of something inanimate) to cease to exist:
The laughter died on his lips.
3.
to lose force, strength, or active qualities:
Superstitions die slowly.
4.
to cease to function; stop:
The motor died.
5.
to be no longer subject; become indifferent:
to die to worldly matters.
6.
to pass gradually; fade or subside gradually (usually followed by away, out, or down):
The storm slowly died down.
7.
Theology. to lose spiritual life.
8.
to faint or languish.
9.
to suffer as if fatally:
I’m dying of boredom!
10.
to pine with desire, love, longing, etc.:
I’m dying to see my home again.
11.
to desire or want keenly or greatly:
I’m dying for a cup of coffee.
Verb phrases
12.
die away, (of a sound) to become weaker or fainter and then cease:
The hoofbeats gradually died away.
13.
die down, to become calm or quiet; subside.
14.
die off, to die one after another until the number is greatly reduced:
Her friends are dying off.
15.
die out,

Idioms
16.
die hard,

17.
die standing up, Theater. (of a performance) to be received with silence rather than applause.
18.
never say die, never give up hope; never abandon one’s efforts.
19.
to die for, stunning; remarkable:
That dress is to die for.
[dahy] /daɪ/
noun, plural dies for 1, 2, 4, dice for 3.
1.
Machinery.

2.
an engraved stamp for impressing a design upon some softer material, as in coining money.
3.
singular of .
4.
Architecture. (def 1).
verb (used with object), died, dieing.
5.
to impress, shape, or cut with a die.
Idioms
6.
the die is cast, the irrevocable decision has been made; fate has taken charge:
The die is cast—I can’t turn back.
/ˈdaɪɪŋ/
verb
1.
the present participle of die1
adjective
2.
relating to or occurring at the moment of death: a dying wish
/daɪ/
verb (mainly intransitive) dies, dying, died
1.
(of an organism or its cells, organs, etc) to cease all biological activity permanently: she died of pneumonia
2.
(of something inanimate) to cease to exist; come to an end: the memory of her will never die
3.
often foll by away, down, or out. to lose strength, power, or energy, esp by degrees
4.
often foll by away or down. to become calm or quiet; subside: the noise slowly died down
5.
to stop functioning: the engine died
6.
to languish or pine, as with love, longing, etc
7.
(usually foll by of) (informal) to be nearly overcome (with laughter, boredom, etc)
8.
(theol) to lack spiritual life within the soul, thus separating it from God and leading to eternal punishment
9.
(transitive) to undergo or suffer (a death of a specified kind) (esp in phrases such as die a saintly death)
10.
(foll by to) to become indifferent or apathetic (to): to die to the world
11.
(informal) never say die, never give up
12.
die hard, to cease to exist after resistance or a struggle: old habits die hard
13.
die in harness, to die while still working or active, prior to retirement
14.
be dying, foll by for or an infinitive. to be eager or desperate (for something or to do something): I’m dying to see the new house
15.
(informal) to die for, highly desirable: a salary to die for
/daɪ/
noun
1.

2.
an internally-threaded tool for cutting external threads Compare tap2 (sense 6)
3.
a casting mould giving accurate dimensions and a good surface to the object cast See also die-cast
4.
(architect) the dado of a pedestal, usually cubic
5.
another name for dice (sense 2)
6.
as straight as a die, perfectly honest
7.
the die is cast, the decision that commits a person irrevocably to an action has been taken

late 13c., “death,” verbal noun from die (v.). From mid-15c. as a past participle adjective, “in the process of becoming dead.”
v.

mid-12c., possibly from Old Danish døja or Old Norse deyja “to die, pass away,” both from Proto-Germanic *dawjanan (cf. Old Frisian deja “to kill,” Old Saxon doian, Old High German touwen, Gothic diwans “mortal”), from PIE root *dheu- (3) “to pass away, become senseless” (cf. Old Irish dith “end, death,” Old Church Slavonic daviti, Russian davit’ “to choke, suffer”).

It has been speculated that Old English had *diegan, from the same source, but it is not in any of the surviving texts and the preferred words were steorfan (see starve), sweltan (see swelter), wesan dead, also forðgan and other euphemisms.

Languages usually don’t borrow words from abroad for central life experiences, but “die” words are an exception, because they are often hidden or changed euphemistically out of superstitious dread. A Dutch euphemism translates as “to give the pipe to Maarten.” Regularly spelled dege through 15c., and still pronounced “dee” by some in Lancashire and Scotland. Used figuratively (of sounds, etc.) from 1580s. Related: Died; dies.
n.

early 14c. (as a plural, late 14c. as a singular), from Old French de “die, dice,” of uncertain origin. Common Romanic (cf. Spanish, Portuguese, Italian dado, Provençal dat, Catalan dau), perhaps from Latin datum “given,” past participle of dare (see date (n.1)), which, in addition to “give,” had a secondary sense of “to play” (as a chess piece); or else from “what is given” (by chance or Fortune). Sense of “stamping block or tool” first recorded 1690s.

die (dī)
v. died, dy·ing (dī’ĭng), dies

noun

To desire very strongly: She was dying to become Miss Pancake (1591+)

verb

Related Terms

cross my heart
see under die