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mortality

n.
US //mɔɹˈtæɫəti// UK //mɔːtˈælɪti// mor·tal·i·ty
  1. 1 the state of being mortal (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    the fact that you will eventually die and cannot live forever.

    the condition of being subject to death; the finite nature of human or biological existence.

    Example

    After his 80th birthday, he began to think more about his own mortality.

    Example

    The poet explores the theme of human mortality, contrasting our brief lives with the enduring beauty of the natural world.

    Usage

    Often used in philosophical or personal contexts regarding the end of life.
  2. 2 death rate (n.)
    C1 Advanced Academic Technical Science

    the number of deaths that happen in a particular period or among a particular group of people.

    the relative frequency of deaths in a specific population; often expressed as a statistical rate.

    Example

    The country has seen a significant drop in infant mortality over the last decade.

    Example

    Epidemiologists noted a sharp increase in mortality among the elderly population during the unusually harsh winter months.

    Usage

    Commonly appears in the compound 'mortality rate'.

    Teacher's tip

    This sense is very common in news reports about health, medicine, and sociology.
    • fatality rate
    • death toll
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  1. 3 humanity collectively (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Archaic Literary

    a word for all human beings, because we all eventually die.

    human beings considered collectively as mortal creatures.

    Example

    The old stories tell of a time when the gods walked among mortality.

    Example

    The king believed himself superior to the rest of mortality, forgetting that he too was bound by the laws of nature.

    Usage

    Used as a collective noun, often in older literature.

    Teacher's tip

    Modern speakers rarely use this; it is mostly found in 18th or 19th-century texts.
Origin

From Old French mortalite, from Latin mortālitās, from mortālis (“relating to death”), from mors (“death”); equivalent to mortal + -ity.

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