Mors的词源

英文词源

morse

morse: [19] People had for some years been experimenting with the magnetic telegraph, but it was the American inventor Samuel Morse (1791–1872) who in 1836 produced the first workable system. And with his assistant Alexander Bain he devised a set of dots and dashes representing letters and numbers which could be used for transmitting messages, and which came to be known as the Morse code. In the first half of the 20th century morse was also used as a verb: ‘It can be used for Morsing instructions about breakfast to the cook’, Punch 31 March 1920.

morsel

morsel: [13] Etymologically, a morsel is a piece ‘bitten’ off. The word comes from Old French morsel, a diminutive of mors ‘bite’. This in turn goes back to Latin morsus, a derivative of the same base as the verb mordēre ‘bite’. Other English words from the same source include mordant [15] and remorse.
=> mordant, remorse

remorse

remorse: [14] Remorse etymologically denotes the ‘biting’ of conscience. The word comes ultimately from medieval Latin remorsus ‘torment’, a derivative of Latin remordēre ‘bite back’, hence ‘torrnent’. This was a compound verb formed from the prefix re- ‘back, again’ and mordēre ‘bite’ (source of English morsel). The noun was used in the expression remorsus conscientiae ‘torment of conscience’, which passed into Old French as remors de conscience. English adopted this at the end of the 14th century, and by the beginning of the 15th century remorse was being used on its own in the same sense.
=> morsel

Morse code (n.)

1867, earlier Morse key (1858), in honor of Samuel F.B. Morse (1791-1872), U.S. inventor who produced a system of telegraphic communication 1836. He invented both the recording telegraph and the alphabet of dots and dashes.

morsel (n.)

late 13c., "a bite, mouthful; small piece, fragment," from Old French morsel (Modern French morceau) "small bite, portion, helping," diminutive of mors "a bite," from Latin morsus "biting, a bite," neuter past participle of mordere "to bite" (see mordant).

remorse (n.)

late 14c., from Old French remors (Modern French remords), from Medieval Latin remorsum, noun use of neuter past participle of Latin remordere "to vex, disturb," literally "to bite back," from re- "back" (see re-) + mordere "to bite" (see mordant).

The sense evolution was via the Medieval Latin phrase remorsus conscientiæ (translated into Middle English as ayenbite of inwit). Middle English also had a verb, remord "to strike with remorse, touch with compassion, prick one's conscience."

remorseful (adj.)

1590s, from remorse + -ful. Related: Remorsefully; remorsefulness.

remorseless (adj.)

1590s, from remorse + -less. Related: Remorselessly; remorselessness.

中文词源

Mors：死神墨尔斯/桑纳托斯(Thanatos)

在希腊神话中，掌管死亡的是死神桑纳托斯（Thanatos）。他是黑夜女神尼克斯的儿子，睡神许普诺斯的孪生兄弟。桑纳托斯住在冥界，手执宝剑，身穿黑斗篷，有一对发出寒气的黑色大翅膀，他会飞到快要死亡的人的床头，用剑割下一缕那人的头发，那人的灵魂就会被他摄走。桑纳托斯心地善良，不会采用暴力手段夺走人的生命，而是常常请他的孪生兄弟睡神帮忙，先使人入睡，然后在睡梦中带走他的灵魂。

桑纳托斯曾经被狡猾的凡人西绪福斯（Sisyphus）欺骗过。西绪福斯作恶多端、异常狡猾。他见到桑纳托斯到来，假装好奇地询问死神带来的镣铐是如何工作的。桑纳托斯向他演示镣铐的工作原理，结果反而把自己锁住了，西绪福斯因此逃过一劫。

从桑纳托斯的名字Thanatos产生了英语词根thanato，表示“死亡”。单词euthanasia（安乐死）、thanatology（死亡学）等就来源于此。

在罗马神话中，死神叫做墨尓斯（Mors），对应于希腊神话中的桑纳托斯。在西方文化中，墨尓斯常被描绘为身着黑色长袍，手持长柄镰刀的阴森老人。墨尓斯的名字Mors在拉丁语中就是“死亡”的意思，英语中表示“死亡”的词根mor-/mort-就来源于此。

thanato-：死亡

euthanasia：[,juːθə'neɪzɪə] n.安乐死，安乐死术

thanatology：[,θænə'tɒlədʒɪ] n.死亡学

mor-/mort-：死亡

mortal：['mɔːt(ə)l] adj.凡人的，致死的，总有一死的n.人类，凡人

immortal：[ɪ'mɔːt(ə)l] adj.不朽的，长生不死的，神仙的n.神仙，不朽人物

mortality：[mɔː'tælɪtɪ] n.死亡数，死亡率，必死性

moribund：['mɒrɪbʌnd] adj.垂死的，停滞不前的n.垂死的人

mortician：[mɔː'tɪʃ(ə)n] n.殡葬业者，丧事承办人

mortuary：['mɔːtjʊərɪ; -tʃʊ-] n.太平间adj.死的，悲哀的

该词的英语词源请访问趣词词源英文版：Mors 词源，Mors 含义。