Mortify v. t. (past & past part. mortified; pres. part. mortifying)
1.
To destroy the organic texture and vital functions of; to produce gangrene in.
2.
To destroy the active powers or essential qualities of; to change by chemical action. (Obs.) "Quicksilver is mortified with turpentine.""He mortified pearls in vinegar."
3.
To deaden by religious or other discipline, as the carnal affections, bodily appetites, or worldly desires; to bring into subjection; to abase; to humble; as, to mortify the flesh. "With fasting mortified, worn out with tears.""Mortify thy learned lust.""Mortify, therefore, your members which are upon the earth."
4.
To affect with vexation, chagrin; to depress. "The news of the fatal battle of Worcester, which exceedingly mortified our expectations.""How often is the ambitious man mortified with the very praises he receives, if they do not rise so high as he thinks they ought!"
5.
To humiliate deeply, especially by injuring the pride of; to embarrass painfully; to humble; as, the team was mortified to lose by 45 to 0.
Mortify v. i.
1.
To lose vitality and organic structure, as flesh of a living body; to gangrene.
2.
To practice penance from religious motives; to deaden desires by religious discipline. "This makes him... give alms of all that he hath, watch, fast, and mortify."
3.
To be subdued; to decay, as appetites, desires, etc.
adjective
Mortifying adj.
1.
Tending to mortify; affected by, or having symptoms of, mortification; as, a mortifying wound; mortifying flesh.
2.
Subduing the appetites, desires, etc.; as, mortifying penances.
3.
Tending to humble or abase; humiliating; as, a mortifying repulse.
... spoke quite patiently was a great credit to his self-control. His failure to move her had filled him with a depressing and mortifying surprise. To say nothing of the regard she might be supposed to have for his wishes, he knew that he ... — V. V.'s Eyes • Henry Sydnor Harrison Read full book for free!
... satisfaction from the melancholy and mortifying details of superstition, to the generous efforts, which the Spanish government was making to enlarge the limits of science and dominion in the west. "Amidst the storms and troubles of Italy, Spain was every day stretching her wings over a ... — The History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella The Catholic, V2 • William H. Prescott Read full book for free!
... myself from this mortifying thought, I considered that it took its rise from those narrow conceptions which we are apt to entertain of the Divine nature. We ourselves cannot attend to many different objects at the same time. If we are careful to inspect ... — The Illustrated London Reading Book • Various Read full book for free!
... somewhat mortifying to feel that it is not ourselves they care for, but merely the gratification of their own vanity. Of course you must bury this profound secret in your own breast. But if you ponder over what I have said you will ... — Wood Magic - A Fable • Richard Jefferies Read full book for free!
... confounded, and turned her eyes toward her niece. She could only hope at such a mortifying juncture that Nan was ready to explain, or at least to shoulder ... — A Country Doctor and Selected Stories and Sketches • Sarah Orne Jewett Read full book for free!
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