mortify

mortify, v.
  (ˈmɔːtɪfaɪ)
  Also 5–7 mortefy, 6–7 mortyfy.
  [a. F. mortifier, ad. L. mortificāre, f. morti-, mors mort n.¹: see -fy.]
  † 1. trans. To deprive of life; to kill, put to death. (In first quot. absol.) Also, to make as if dead; to render insensible. Obs.

1382 Wyclif 1 Kings ii. 6 The Lord mortifieth, and quykeneth. c 1412 Hoccleve De Reg. Princ. 608 Thogh men sowen seed Of vertu in a yong man, it is deed As blyue, his rebel goost it mortifieþ. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 67 b/1, His herte was mortefyed wythin hym, and he was deed lyke a stone. a 1533 Ld. Berners Gold. Bk. M. Aurel. (1546) Q ii b, It is..a swounyng, that incontinently mortifieth al the membres. 1565 Cooper Thesaurus, Caprimulgi, Birdes..that in the night sucke goates and mortifie their vdders. 1600 Surflet Country Farm i. xxviii. 176 It were better to writh about and mortifie their cods altogither with pincers, then to geld them all at once. 1615 R. Brathwait Strappado (1878) 153 Thou.. hast well neere my senses mortefied. 1664 Evelyn Sylva ix. (1679) 53 If of the principal Stem so left, the frost mortifie any part. 1688 Persec. Piedmont 33 These Ruffians mortified her little Daughter about seven months old before her face. 1692 Ray Disc. iii. ii. (1732) 415 Their seeds..will..be mortified and destroyed.

  † b. To bruise. [Cf. OF.] Obs.

1609 Rowlands Crew of Kind Gossips 11, I set a little stoole, And ouer that, downe comes my reeling foole:..I am sure it mortified his shins.

  † c. intr. for pass. To lose vitality. Obs.

1701 Steele Funeral iii. (1702) 42 To see one that was a Beauty unfortunately move with the same languor,..that once was Charming in her—To see, I say, her Mortify that us'd to Kill—ha ha ha! 1707 Mortimer Husb. (1721) II. 9 Their Roots are very apt to mortifie or harden and wither by the wind.

  † 2. trans. To kill (in transf. and fig. senses); to destroy the vitality, vigour, or activity of; to neutralize the effect or value of; to deaden (pain); to dull (colour), etc. Obs.

c 1386 Chaucer Pars. T. ¶159 The gode werkes, that he dide..been al mortified..by the ofte sinning. c 1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. (1894) 96 If þat þou dredist wheþer þat it be symple vlcus or a cankre..bigynne to mortifie it wiþ sum maner of poudre. 1489 Caxton Faytes of A. iii. viii. 183 Yf cas be that he goo hys waye so he mortyfyeth his hyre..for seruyce ought not to haue noo hyre tyl that hit be complisshed. 1553 Brende Q. Curtius D iij, His face waxed pale, and the livelye heate was mortified in all partes of his body. 1555 Eden Decades (Arb.) 113 An herbe which quencheth and mortifieth the violent poyson of the herbe. 1590 Marlowe 2nd Pt. Tamburl. iii. ii. H 3 My mothers death hath mortified my mind, And sorrow stops the passage of my speech. 1599 Shakes. Hen. V, i. i. 26 His wildnesse, mortify'd in him, Seem'd to dye too. 1651 Hobbes Leviath. i. xii. 60 With other signes of private interest, enough to mortifie the most lively Faith. 1682 Sir T. Browne Chr. Mor. (1756) 112 The knowledge of future evils mortifies present felicities. 1711 Shaftesbury Charac. III. vi. v. 373 He must take care at least so to mortify his Colours, that these plain poor Men may not appear,..adorn'd like so many Lords.

  b. Irish Gram. (See quot.)

1843 Neilson Introd. Irish Lang. 5 B, c, d, f, g, m, p, s, t, are called mutable, because they can be aspirated, or mortified, i.e. change or lose their sound, by the addition of h.

  † 3. Old Chem. (See quot. 1704.) Obs.

c 1386 Chaucer Can. Yeom. T. 573 This quik-silver wol I mortifye. 1460–70 Bk. Quintessence 19 Take also a litil quantite of Mer[curie?] & mortifie it wiþ fastynge spotil. 1558 Warde tr. Alexis' Secr. (1568) 101 b, It will be good..for to mortifie other Quick Sylver. 1601 Holland Pliny I. 257 Clodius..to know what tast pearles had, mortified them in vinegre, and drunke them up. 1657 Starkey Helmont's Vind. 315 The sharpnesse of the salt is totally mortified. 1694 Salmon Bate's Dispens. 681/2 This Salt is..used in opening and purging Medicines to mortifie the Acids, which excite Fermentations in our Bodies. 1704 J. Harris Lex. Techn. I. s.v. Mortifie, The Chymists say a thing is Mortify'd when its outward Form is altered or destroyed, as particularly when Mercury, or any other Metal is dissolved in an Acid Menstruum. Sometimes they say also, that Spirits are Mortified, when they are mix'd with such things as destroy their strength, and hinder their Operation.

  4. To bring into subjection (the body, its appetites and passions) by the practice of self-denial, abstinence, or bodily discipline.

c 1412 Hoccleve De Reg. Princ. 3665 Than oghte vs cristen men þat vice fleeme, And swiche lustes in vs mortifie. c 1450 tr. De Imitatione i. xi. 11 Þei studied to mortefie hemself in all wises fro erþely desires. 1477 Earl Rivers (Caxton) Dictes 33 He that wol the lif of his saule lete hym mortifie hit & yeue it payne in this world. 1526 Tindale Rom. viii. 13 But if ye mortifie the dedes off the body by the helpe off the sprete ye shall live. ― Col. iii. 5 Mortifie therfore youre members which are on the erth, fornicacion [etc.]. c 1535 Nisbet Prol. Romans (S.T.S.) III. 340 Quhilk spret..subdewis, ande mortifyis the fleiss. 1660 Jer. Taylor Worthy Commun. i. §6. 110 Give me strength to subdue my passions, to mortifie my inordinations. 1842 Tennyson St. Sim. Styl. 176 Mortify Your flesh..with scourges and with thorns. 1853 Kingsley Hypatia xxiv, Can she not mortify these base affections? 1864 W. W. Story Roba di R. (ed. 3) III. 39 They really mortify the flesh by penance, fasting, and wretched fare.

  † b. To render ‘dead’ to the world and the flesh. Cf. mortified 1. Obs.

1556 J. Heywood Spider & F. B b, I am not mortified to beare distres. 1567 Duke of Norfolk in Strype Ann. Ref. (1709) I. 501, I am too well mortified to care for slanderous reports. 1581 G. Pettie tr. Guazzo's Civ. Conv. ii. (1586) 111 b, Your philosophie perchaunce hath so mortified you, that you can promise your selfe the constancie of that Philosopher whome a woman tooke for an image.

  † c. absol. or intr. To practise mortification; to be an ascetic. Obs.

1568 H. B. tr. Peter Mart. On Rom. 203 To mortefy is nothing els, but for a man to be violent against himselfe, and to withstand and resist wicked lustes. 1709 Collier Ess. Mor. Subj. ii. (1722) 147 What can be a more wretched Sight, than to see a Man mortify without Religion? 1742 Young Nt. Th. ix. 2389 They mortify, they starve, on wealth, fame, power. 1753 Richardson Grandison VI. xxxii. 223 She is retired to Shirley-manor to mortify, after so rich a regale. 1784 R. Bage Barham Downs I. 164 If you will mortify with me to-night upon toasted cheese and ale. 1804 Jane Austen Watsons (1879) 327 Imagine him mortifying with his barrel of oysters in dreary solitude. 1842 Barham Ingol. Leg. Ser. ii. Nell Cook, And a Warden-pie's a dainty dish to mortify withal.

  5. trans. Scots Law. To dispose of (property) by mortification.

1498 [see mortification 5]. 1652 Z. Boyd Zion's Flowers (1855) App. 23/2 Mr. Zacharias Boyd..mortifies and dispones to the..colledge.., the..bands contracts debtis. 1742 Richardson Pamela (1785) IV. 49 She has..mortify'd, as the Scots call it, 150l. as a Fund for Loans, without Interest. 1842 J. Aiton Domest. Econ. (1857) 157 When a minister and heritors disagree as to the propriety of cutting trees on a glebe, the matter must be determined by the Judge Ordinary, and their value, when cut, mortified for behoof of the benefice. 1885 A. Mackay in Dict. Nat. Biog. III. 154 In 1380..Barbour mortified his pension of twenty shillings in favour of the cathedral.

  6. Cookery. To make (raw meat, game, etc.) tender by hanging, keeping, etc. Also intr. for pass. Obs.

1594 R. Ashley tr. Loys Le Roy 15 b, Raw flesh..which they do presse betweene two stones..or els do mortifie it on the backe of a horse when a man is on him. 1611 Cotgr., Faisander, to mortifie fowle. 1626 Bacon Sylva §891 Try it also with Capon..laid abroad, to see whether it will mortifie and become tender sooner. 1632 Massinger Maid of Hon. iii. i, With a worthy loyne of veale, and valiant Capon, Mortifi'd to grow tender. 1718 Ozell tr. Tournefort's Voy. I. 192 They presented us..a goat which proved very good, because we let it mortify some hours. [1733: see mortified 5.] 1790 Gouv. Morris Diary 22 Jan. (1889) I. 276 As that day does not suit the company, poor Monsieur Trout must e'en mortify two days longer.

transf. 1572 L. Mascall Plant. & Graff. (1592) Exhort., Ye must digge your holes a yeere before ye plant that the earth may be the better seasoned, mortified and wax tender. 1658 Evelyn Fr. Gard. (1675) 284 Let them lie..in the sun to mortifie them a little, that they may the better receive in the salt.

  7. intr. Path. To become mortified or gangrenous. Also (rarely) trans., to render mortified.

1603 Knolles Hist. Turks (1638) 120 The wound..began to mortifie and grow blacke. 1708 Swift Predictions for 1708, Wks. 1751 IV. 195 The Swellings in his Legs breaking, and the Flesh mortifying, [he] will die on the 11th instant. 1748 Anson's Voy. i. viii. 78 Snow and sleet..disabling many of them, by mortifying their toes and fingers. 1847 Grote Greece xxxvi. IV. 494 His injured limb mortified.

  8. trans. To cause to feel humiliated; to cause (a person) mortification (freq. in pass.).

1691 Luttrell Brief Rel. (1857) II. 193 The bull of the last pope had extreamly mortifyed that court. 1699 Bentley Phal. Pref. 35, I had no design in't, but to mortifie him a little for his pertness. 1726 Swift Gulliver ii. iii, Nothing angered and mortified me so much as the Queen's Dwarf. 1769 Robertson Chas. V, iv. Wks. 1851 III. 611 He was fond of mortifying a man whom he had many reasons to hate. 1796–7 Jane Austen Pride & Prej. v, I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine. 1837 Disraeli Venetia i. vii, No one was more mortified by her rages.

Oxford English Dictionary