in articulo mortis
/ˌɪnɑːˌtɪkjʊləʊˈmɔːtɪs/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.27 in modern English
20
Scrabble Score
16
Letters
7
Syllables
11
Unique Chars
Meaning
adv
At the moment of death. (In law, especially canon, or church, law, this expression can mean that someone has been given special permission by a competent authority to enter an organization or to receive some sort of exemption or permission at some point not long before they die, such as receiving diaconal or presbyteral ordination or entering religious profession.)
Example Sentences
- "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."
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin in articulō 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”).
Origin
- Source language: Latin
Word Breakdown
- Root: in articulō mortis
Regional Pronunciation
- British English: /ˌɪnɑːˌtɪkjʊləʊˈmɔːtɪs/