in articulo mortis

in articulo mortis

English

WOTD – 2 November 2015

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin in articulo mortis (“literally: in the article of death”), from in (“during; at”, preposition governing the ablative) + articulō, ablative singular form of articulus (“a joint; figuratively: a point in time, a moment”) + mortis, genitive singular of mors (“death”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˌɪnɑːˌtɪkjʊləʊˈmɔːtɪs/

Adverb

in articulo mortis (not comparable)

1. At the moment of death.
   • 1845, Edgar Allan Poe, ‘The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar’:

     My attention, for the last three years, had been repeatedly drawn to the subject of Mesmerism; and, about nine months ago, it occurred to me, quite suddenly, that in the series of experiments made hitherto, there had been a very remarkable and most unaccountable omission: — no person had as yet been mesmerized in articulo mortis.

Translations

at the moment of death

Czech: v okamžik u smrti Finnish: kuolinhetkellä French: à l'article de la mort (fr) Polish: w obliczu śmierci (pl)