verbsecond conjugation
mordeō
mordeō (present infinitive mordēre, perfect active momordī, supine morsum)
Classical[ˈmɔr.de.oː]Ecclesiastical[ˈmɔr.de.o]
Meaning
- to bite (into); nibble, gnaw
- to nip, sting
- to eat, consume, devour, erode
- to bite into, take hold of, press or cut into
- to hurt, pain, sting
- to squander, waste, dissipate
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
dentibus premō et secōmordeō -ēre — in Metamorphoses I, ch. 17, 21
bite
mordeō -ēre — in De Bello Gallico II
Conjugation conjugation 2
| form | present | imperfect | future | perfect | pluperfect | fut. perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | mordeō | mordēbam | mordēbō | momordī | momorderam | momorderō |
| 2nd sg. | mordēs | mordēbās | mordēbis | momordistī | momorderās | momorderis |
| 3rd sg. | mordet | mordēbat | mordēbit | momordit | momorderat | momorderit |
| 1st pl. | mordēmus | mordēbāmus | mordēbimus | momordimus | momorderāmus | momorderimus |
| 2nd pl. | mordētis | mordēbātis | mordēbitis | momordistis | momorderātis | momorderitis |
| 3rd pl. | mordent | mordēbant | mordēbunt | momordērunt momordēre | momorderant | momorderint |
active subjunctive
| form | present | imperfect | perfect | pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | mordeam | mordērem | momorderim | momordissem |
| 2nd sg. | mordeās | mordērēs | momorderīs | momordissēs |
| 3rd sg. | mordeat | mordēret | momorderit | momordisset |
| 1st pl. | mordeāmus | mordērēmus | momorderīmus | momordissēmus |
| 2nd pl. | mordeātis | mordērētis | momorderītis | momordissētis |
| 3rd pl. | mordeant | mordērent | momorderint | momordissent |
passive indicative
| form | present | imperfect | future |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | mordeor | mordēbar | mordēbor |
| 2nd sg. | mordēris mordēre | mordēbāris mordēbāre | mordēberis mordēbere |
| 3rd sg. | mordētur | mordēbātur | mordēbitur |
| 1st pl. | mordēmur | mordēbāmur | mordēbimur |
| 2nd pl. | mordēminī | mordēbāminī | mordēbiminī |
| 3rd pl. | mordentur | mordēbantur | mordēbuntur |
passive subjunctive
| form | present | imperfect |
|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | mordear | mordērer |
| 2nd sg. | mordeāris mordeāre | mordērēris mordērēre |
| 3rd sg. | mordeātur | mordērētur |
| 1st pl. | mordeāmur | mordērēmur |
| 2nd pl. | mordeāminī | mordērēminī |
| 3rd pl. | mordeantur | mordērentur |
imperative
| form | active | passive |
|---|---|---|
| pres. 2nd sg. | mordē | mordēre |
| pres. 2nd pl. | mordēte | mordēminī |
| fut. 2nd sg. | mordētō | mordētor |
| fut. 3rd sg. | mordētō | mordētor |
| fut. 2nd pl. | mordētōte | — |
| fut. 3rd pl. | mordentō | mordentor |
infinitives & participles
| form | active | passive |
|---|---|---|
| present infinitive | mordēre | mordērī |
| perfect infinitive | momordisse | morsum esse |
| future infinitive | morsūrum esse | morsum īrī |
| present participle | mordēns | — |
| perfect participle | — | morsus morsa, morsā, morsae, morsam, morsārum, morsās, morse, morsī, morsīs, morsō, morsōrum, morsōs |
| future participle | morsūrus morsūra, morsūrā, morsūrae, morsūram, morsūrārum, morsūrās, morsūre, morsūrī, morsūrīs, morsūrō, morsūrōrum, morsūrōs, morsūrum | mordendus mordenda, mordendā, mordendae, mordendam, mordendārum, mordendās, mordende, mordendīs, mordendōrum, mordendōs |
gerundmordendī, mordendō, mordendumsupinemorsum, morsū
Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book
- conscientia morderi (Tusc. 4. 20. 45)
- to be conscience-stricken.
- acer morsus doloris est (Tusc. 2. 22. 53)
- the pain is very severe.
mordĕo, mŏmordi (archaic memordi;
I. v. in the foll.), morsum, 2, v. a. root smard-; Sanscr. mard-, bite; Gr. σμερδνός, σμερδαλέος; (cf. Engl. smart), to bite, to bite into (class.).
I. Lit.: si me canis memorderit, Enn. ap. Gell. 7, 9, 3 (Sat. v. 36 Vahl.):
canes mordere possunt, Cic. Rosc. Am. 20, 57: mordens pulex, biting, Mart. 14, 83: (serpens) fixum hastile momordit, bit into, Ov. M. 3, 68: mordeat ante aliquis quidquid, etc., taste, Juv. 6, 632: terram, to bite the ground, bite the dust, of expiring warriors writhing on the ground: procubuit moriens et humum semel ore momordit, Verg. A. 11, 418; Ov. M. 9, 61.—Part. as subst.: morsi a rabioso cane, Plin. 29, 5, 32, § 100: laneaque aridulis haerebant morsa labellis, Cat. 64, 316.—2. In partic., to eat, devour, consume (poet.):
tunicatum cum sale mordens Caepe, Pers. 4, 30: ostrea, Juv. 6, 305: sordes farris mordere canini, id. 5, 11.—B. Transf.
1. To bite into, take fast hold of, catch fast; to press or cut into (poet.):
laterum juncturas fibula mordet, takes hold of, clasps, Verg. A. 12, 274: mordebat fibula vestem, Ov. M. 8, 318: id quod a lino mordetur, where the thread presses in, Cels. 7, 4, 4: locus (corporis), qui mucronem (teli) momordit, id. 7, 5, 4: arbor mordet humum, takes hold of the ground, is rooted in the ground, Stat. Th. 9, 499.—Hence, poet., of a river: non rura quae Liris quieta Mordet aqua, cuts or penetrates into, Hor. C. 1, 31, 7.—2. To nip, bite, sting:
matutina parum cautos jam frigora mordent, nips, attacks, Hor. S. 2, 6, 45: oleamque momorderit aestus, id. Ep. 1, 8, 5: mordeat et tenerum fortior aura nemus, Mart. 8, 14, 2: radix gustu acri mordet, bites, hurts, Plin. 27, 13, 109, § 133: linguam, id. 29, 2, 9, § 34: oculos, id. 21, 6, 17, § 32: urtica foliis non mordentibus, stinging, burning, id. 22, 14, 16, § 37.—II. Trop., to bite, sting, pain, hurt (syn.: pungo, stimulo, remordeo;
class.): invidere omnes mihi, Mordere clanculum, bit, stung, Ter. Eun. 3, 1, 21: morderi dictis, Ov. Tr. 1, 1, 25: jocus mordens, a biting jest, Juv. 9, 10: mordear opprobriis falsis, shall I be stung, vexed, Hor. Ep. 1, 16, 38: par pari referto, quod eam mordeat, to vex, mortify, Ter. Eun. 3, 1, 55: valde me momorderunt epistolae tuae, Cic. Att. 13, 12, 1: scribis, morderi te interdum, quod non simul sis, that it grieves you, affects you, id. ib. 6, 2, 8: dolore occulto morderi, to be attacked, tormented, Ov. M. 2, 806: nec qui detrectat praesentia, Livor iniquo Ullum de nostris dente momordit opus, detracted, id. Tr. 4, 10, 124; cf. id. P. 4, 14, 46: morderi conscientiā, to feel the sting of conscience, Cic. Tusc. 4, 20, 45: hunc mordebit objurgatio, Quint. 1, 3, 7.—B. To seize fast, hold firmly in the mind (cf. mordicus, II.):
hoc tene, hoc morde, Sen. Ep. 78, 29. —C. To squander, dissipate: de integro patrimonio meo centum milia nummūm memordi, Laber. ap. Gell. 6, 9, 3 (Com. Rel. v. 50 Rib.).
Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
mordeō momordī, morsus, ēre
MORD-, to bite, bite into : qui (canes) mordere possunt: (serpens) hastile momordit, bit into , O.: Mordeat ante aliquis quidquid, etc., taste , Iu.: humum ore momordit, bit the dust , V.— To eat, devour, consume : ostrea, Iu.— To bite into, take hold of, catch fast : laterum iuncturas fibula mordet, clasps , V.: mordebat fibula vestem, O.— To cut into, wash away : rura quae Liris quietā Mordet aquā, H.— To nip, bite, sting : matutina parum cautos iam frigora mordent, H.—Fig., to bite, sting, pain, hurt : morderi dictis, O.: iocus mordens, a biting jest , Iu.: mordear opprobriis falsis, shall be vexed , H.: valde me momorderunt epistulae tuae: morderi conscientiā, feel the sting of conscience .
Origins
From Proto-Italic *mordeō, from *mordejō, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)mord-éye-ti, from *(s)merd- (“to bite, sting”). Potentially displaced Proto-Indo-European *(s)mérd-e-ti, the original present to this root. Cognate with Sanskrit मर्दति (márdati, “press, crush, destroy”), म्रदते (mradate, “pulverize”), Ancient Greek σμερδνός (smerdnós, “dreadful”), σμερδαλέος (smerdaléos), English smart.
Ibero-Romance
- Portuguesemorderfrom Old Galician-Portuguese morder
- Spanishmorder
- Aragonesemorder
- Asturianmorder
- Galicianmorderfrom Old Galician-Portuguese morder
Insular Romance
- Sardinianmòrdere
- Sardinianmòrdiri
Gallo-Romance
- Occitanmòrdre
- Frenchmordrefrom Old French mordre
- Franco-Provençalmôrdre
- Gasconmórderfrom Occitan mòrdre
- Old Catalanmordre
Italo-Romance
- Italianmordere
Rhaeto-Romance
- Friulianmuardi
- Romanshmorder
Gallo-Italic
- Lombardmord
- Piedmontesemòrde