death

noun
death \ ˈdeth \
before 12th century{ds||1|a|}
  • a permanent cessation of all vital functions : the end of life
  • an instance of dying
  • the cause or occasion of loss of life

death benefit

noun
death benefit \
1867
  • money payable to the beneficiary of a deceased

death blow

noun
death blow \
circa 1586{ds||1||}
  • a forcible stroke that kills a living thing : an act that ends the life of a person or animal
  • an act or event that causes the end or failure of something

death camas

noun
death camas \
1856
  • any of several plants (genus Zigadenus) of the lily family that cause poisoning of livestock in the western U.S.

death camp

noun
death camp \
1944
  • a concentration camp in which large numbers of prisoners are systematically killed

death cap

noun
death cap \
1925
  • a very poisonous mushroom (Amanita phalloides) of deciduous woods of North America and Europe that varies in color from pure white to olive or yellow and has a prominent volva at the base —called also death cup

death duty

noun
death duty \
1852
  • death tax

death grip

noun
death grip \
1792{ds||1||}
  • an extremely tight grip caused especially by fear
  • hold

death instinct

noun
death instinct \
1921
  • an innate and unconscious tendency toward self-destruction postulated in psychoanalytic theory to explain aggressive and destructive behavior not satisfactorily explained by the pleasure principle —called also Thanatos

death mask

noun
death mask \
1838
  • a cast taken from the face of a dead person
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