valar morghulis
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.57 in modern English
23
Scrabble Score
14
Letters
2
Syllables
11
Unique Chars
Meaning
phrase
An expression used as an acknowledgement of human mortality and the inevitability of death.
Slang
Example Sentences
- "On a philosophical note, there has never been a moment in my life where I’ve truly considered the gravity of death. Yes I know, “All men must die,” but I’m a writer, not a BASE jumper. I spend most of my time behind a bright computer screen, thinking. Yet as I started driving along the edge of a snowy cliff tumbling hundreds of meters downwards to the rocky sea, without snow tyres, the possibility was getting a little bit too real. Valar morghulis."
- "In 2015, different beasts threaten our lives—heart disease, cancers, and chronic airway diseases comprise the majority of our disease burden. Valar morghulis—all men must die."
- "You fought a good battle, and it was an honour to be there right beside you. I will miss you. “Valar Morghulis” my friend. The God of Death has called one of its valiant warrior home, albeit, too soon."
Etymology
Coined by American writer and television producer George R. R. Martin for use in his A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy novel series. The phrase valar morghūlis, which means all men must die in the fictional language of High Valyrian, is used as a greeting by the Faceless Men, a combination of a death cult and assassin's guild. The traditional response is valar dohaeris (“all men must serve”).
Word Breakdown
- Root: -