die-die
/ˈdaɪ(˦)ˈdaɪ(˦)/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.77 in modern English
8
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
3
Unique Chars
Meaning
adv
No matter what, absolutely, even if one dies trying; emphasizes urgency, necessity or commitment.
Example Sentences
- "When we’ve something to say […] we will die-die find the most compelling way to say it to our intended audience."
- "[O]nly about 100 [hawker] stalls got his highest ranking of “die, die must try”."
- "My dad’s reluctance to seek medical care isn’t unique. In fact, only a third of older adults here have a regular family doctor, which leads to delayed diagnoses and missed opportunities to catch serious conditions early."
Etymology
Reduplication of die and a calque of Malay mati-matian (“desperately; with all one's might”), itself a reduplication of mati (“to die”).