mortal
UK[ˈmɔːtl]US[ˈmɔːrtl]
adj
(of living beings, especially humans) certain to die eventually.
adj
causing or liable to cause death; fatal.
n
a human being subject to death, as opposed to a divine being.
Morpheme Breakdown
mort
al
mort
death
al
adjective suffix
Etymology
the word 'mortal' originates from the latin adjective 'mortalis', which is itself derived from 'mors, mortis' meaning 'death'. the suffix '-alis' attaches to nouns to form adjectives indicating a relationship or pertaining to the base concept. thus, 'mortalis' literally means 'pertaining to death'. this sense evolved in english to describe beings who are subject to death, contrasting with the immortal gods, and by extension, to describe anything capable of causing or resulting in death. the underlying logic connects the inescapable human condition of death directly to the word's core meaning.
Analysis
Structure: mort (death) + al (adjective suffix)
mort (from latin 'mors, mortis', meaning death; a root conveying the concept of death). al (from latin '-alis', an adjective-forming suffix meaning 'of, relating to, or characterized by').
Examples
all human beings are mortal.
the soldier suffered a mortal wound in battle.
in greek mythology, the gods often interacted with mortals.