die

See also: dié, diè, diē, Diè, dîe, Die, δῖε, and DIE

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Page categories

English

Alternative forms

• dye (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• enPR: dī, IPA^(key): /daɪ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪ
• Homophones: dye, Di, Dai, daye

Etymology 1

From Middle English deyen, from Old English dīeġan and Old Norse deyja, both from Proto-Germanic *dawjaną (“to die”). Displaced Old English sweltan, whence Modern English swelt.

Verb

die (third-person singular simple present dies, present participle dying, simple past and past participle died)

1. (intransitive) To stop living; to become dead; to undergo death.
   • c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire, London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act I, scene i:

     Returne with ſpeed, time paſſeth ſwift away,
     Our life is fraile, and we may dye to day.

   • 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, Canto XXXV, page 54:

     The cheeks drop in; the body bows;
     Man dies: nor is there hope in dust: […]

   1. followed by of as an indication of direct cause; general use:

      He died of malaria.

      • 1838, Boz [pseudonym; Charles Dickens], chapter 6, in Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy’s Progress. […], volumes (please specify |volume=I, II, or III), London: Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC:

        "What did she die of, Work'us?" said Noah.
        "Of a broken heart, some of our old nurses told me," replied Oliver […] .

      • 2000, Stephen King, On Writing, Pocket Books, published 2002, page 85:

        In 1971 or 72, Mom's sister Carolyn Weimer died of breast cancer.

   2. followed by from as an indication of direct cause; general use, though somewhat more common in the context of medicine or the sciences:

      He died from heart failure.

      • 1865 March 4, British Medical Journal, page 213:

        She lived several weeks; but afterwards she died from epilepsy, to which malady she had been previously subject.

      • 2007, Frank Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson, Sandworms of Dune, Tor, published 2007, page 191:

        "Or all of them will die from the plague. Even if most of the candidates succumb […] "

   3. followed by for; often expressing wider contextual motivations, though sometimes indicating direct causes:

      He died for the one he loved.

      • 1961, Joseph Heller, Catch-22, Simon & Schuster, published 1999, page 232:

        Englishmen are dying for England, Americans are dying for America, Germans are dying for Germany, Russians are dying for Russia. There are now fifty or sixty countries fighting in this war.

      • 2003, Tara Herivel, Paul Wright, editors, Prison Nation, Routledge, page 187:

        Less than three days later, Johnson lapsed into a coma in his jail cell and died for lack of insulin.

   4. (now rare) followed by with as an indication of direct cause:
      • 1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]:

        Therefore let Benedicke like covered fire, / Consume away in sighes, waste inwardly: / It were a better death, to die with mockes, / Which is as bad as die with tickling.

      • 1830, Joseph Smith, The Book of Mormon, Richards, published 1854, page 337:

        And there were some who died with fevers, which at some seasons of the year was very frequent in the land.

   5. (uncommon, nonstandard outside video games) followed by to as an indication of direct cause (like from):

      I can't believe I just died to a turret!

      • 2014, S. J. Groves, The Darker Side to Dr Carter, page 437:

        Dr Thomas concluded she had died to a blow to the head, which led to a bleed on the brain, probably a fall and had hit her head hard on the wooden bedpost, as there was blood on the bedpost.

   6. (still current) followed by with as an indication of manner:

      She died with dignity.

   7. (in bare form) to die in a certain form.

      Will I die a happy man?

2. (transitive) To (stop living and) undergo (a specified death).

   He died a hero's death.

   They died a thousand deaths.

   • 2019, Lou Marinoff, On Human Conflict: The Philosophical Foundations of War and Peace, Rowman & Littlefield, →ISBN, page 452:

     […] he chose instead to suffer even greater personal pain, with unimaginable fortitude and resolve, albeit for a shorter time. Thus he died a small death, in order to benefit the living. Similarly, a small and voluntary death was died by Socrates.

3. (video games, slang) To lose or be eliminated from a game, particularly with a deathlike animation.
   • 1995, “Slobzone”, in Coming Soon! magazine‎^[1] (video game review):

     Of course, Nazis are not present in this game. Instead, we have animals that will try to cover you with dirt. As soon as you get too dirty, you will die.

   • 2009, Brian Sulpher, 9:15–9:30 from the start, in Onto Doom And Gloom‎^[2] (video game playthrough), via youtube:

     Oh look, I just died. […] I missed that jump again! That was dumb! Hey, I just died on the same freakin' Zinger.

   Whenever my brother dies, he ragequits.

4. (intransitive, figuratively) To yearn intensely.

   I'm dying for a packet of crisps.

   I'm dying for a piss.

   • 1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]:

     Yes, and his ill conditions; and in despite of all, dies for him.

   • 2004, Paul Joseph Draus, Consumed in the city: observing tuberculosis at century's end, page 168:

     I could see that he was dying, dying for a cigarette, dying for a fix maybe, dying for a little bit of freedom, but trapped in a hospital bed and a sick body.

5. (intransitive, uncommon, idiomatic) To be or become hated or utterly ignored or cut off, as if dead.

   The day our sister eloped, she died to our mother.

   • 2015, Emily Duvall, Inclusions, page 150:

     "My dad […] beat us until we couldn't sit down." […] "What about your mother?" […] "She's alive. […] My aunt visits her once a year, but I don't ask about my mother. She died to me the day she chose my father over protecting us." Luke's voice hitched with emotion.

   • 2017, Mike Hoornstra, Descent into the Maelstrom, page 366:

     "You haven't been my son since you were ten years old. That boy died to me the day he ran away. I don't know you. You are merely a shell that resembles someone I used to know, but you are dead to me. You are the bringer of pain and death. Leave me be. Leave me with my son, Jyosh." "Mother..." Barlun pleaded.

6. (intransitive, figuratively) To become spiritually dead; to lose hope.

   He died a little inside each time she refused to speak to him.

   • 2011, Ingrid Michaelson (lyrics and music), “Ghost”, in Human Again‎^[3]:

     Do you know that I went down / To the ground / Landed on both my broken-hearted knees... / […] I didn't even cry / 'Cause pieces of me had already died

7. (intransitive, colloquial, hyperbolic) To be mortified or shocked by a situation.

   If anyone sees me wearing this ridiculous outfit, I'll die.

9. (intransitive, figurative, hyperbolic) To be so overcome with emotion or laughter as to be incapacitated.

   When I found out my two favorite musicians would be recording an album together, I literally planned my own funeral arrangements and died.

   • 1976, an anchorman on Channel Five in California, quoted in Journal and Newsletter [of the] California Classical Association, Northern Section:

     I literally died when I saw that.

10. (intransitive, of a machine) To stop working; to break down or otherwise lose "vitality".

    My car died in the middle of the freeway this morning.

    Sorry I couldn't call you. My phone died.

    My battery died and my charger was at home.

11. (intransitive, of a computer program) To abort, to terminate (as an error condition).
12. (intransitive, of a legislative bill or resolution) To expire at the end of the session of a legislature without having been brought to a vote.

    The proposed gas tax died after the powerful rural senator refused to let it out of committee.

13. To perish; to cease to exist; to become lost or extinct.
    • 1714 September 26 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison; Richard Steele et al.], “WEDNESDAY, September 15, 1714”, in The Spectator, number 594; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume VI, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, →OCLC:

      letting the secret die within his own breast

      The spelling has been modernized.

    • 1847, Alfred Tennyson, “(please specify the page number, or |part=Prologue, I to VII, or conclusion)”, in The Princess: A Medley, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC:

      Great deeds cannot die.

    • 1905, Lord Dunsany [i.e., Edward Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany], The Gods of Pegāna, London: [Charles] Elkin Mathews, […], →OCLC, page 88:

      Through all the Worlds are sounds, the noises of moving, and the echoes of voices and song; but upon the River is no sound ever heard, for there all echoes die.

14. To sink; to faint; to pine; to languish, with weakness, discouragement, love, etc.
    • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 1 Samuel 25:37:

      But it came to passe in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.

    • 1965, Darby Slick, “Somebody to Love”, in Surrealistic Pillow‎^[4], performed by Jefferson Airplane, published 1967:

      When the truth is found to be lies / And all the joy within you dies / Don't you want somebody to love? / Don't you need somebody to love?

15. (often with "to") To become indifferent; to cease to be subject.

    to die to pleasure or to sin

16. (architecture) To disappear gradually in another surface, as where mouldings are lost in a sloped or curved face.
17. To become vapid, flat, or spiritless, as liquor.
18. (of a stand-up comedian or a joke, slang) To fail to evoke laughter from the audience.

    Then there was that time I died onstage in Montreal...

Usage notes

• In Middle and Early Modern English, the phrase is dead was more common where the present perfect form has died is common today. Example:

1611, King James Bible

I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. (Gal. 2:21)

Conjugation

Conjugation of die

infinitive	(to) die
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	die	died
2nd-person singular	die, diest†	died, diedst†
3rd-person singular	dies, dieth†	died
plural	die
subjunctive	die	died
imperative	die	—
participles	dying	died

^†Archaic or obsolete.

Synonyms

• (to stop living): assume room temperature, bite the dust, bite the big one, buy the farm, check out, code, cross over, cross the river, decompose, dematerialize, expire, succumb, give up the ghost, pass, pass away, pass on, be no more, meet one's maker, be a stiff, push up the daisies, hop off the twig, kick the bucket, shuffle off this mortal coil, join the choir invisible
• See also Thesaurus:die

Derived terms

• be dying for
• cross my heart and hope to die
• die a death
• die and go to heaven
• die a thousand deaths
• die away
• die-away
• die back
• die down
• diedrate
• die hard, die-hard, diehard
• die how one lived
• die-in
• die in a fire
• die in harness
• die in office
• die in one's shoes
• die in the arse
• die in the ass
• die in the last ditch
• die just how one lived
• die just like one lived
• die just the way one lived
• die laughing
• die laughter
• die like flies
• die like one lived
• die off
• die-off
• die of laughter
• die on
• die on one's arse
• die on the vine
• die out
• die prematurely
• die roaring
• die roaring for a priest
• die the way one lived
• dieversity
• dieversity
• do or die
• do-or-die
• hide-and-die syndrome
• hill to die on
• I'm dying
• I would rather die
• laugh die me
• life's a bitch and then you die
• live and die by
• never-say-die
• never say die
• old habits die hard
• only the good die young
• redie
• ride-or-die
• ride or die
• right to die
• see Naples and die
• straight as a die
• the good die young
• today is a good day to die
• to die for
• undie
• wake up and die right
• what did your last slave die of

 

Related terms

• dead
• death
• buried
• bury

Descendants

• → Vietnamese: đai

Translations

See die/translations § Verb.

Etymology 2

A pair of common dice with six sides each.

Various dice with different numbers of sides and distributions of values.

Dies (sense 6) on a wafer.

From Middle English dee, from Old French de (Modern French dé), from Latin datum, from datus (“given”), the past participle of dō (“to give”), from Proto-Indo-European *deh₃- (“to lay out, to spread out”). Doublet of datum.

Replaced Old English tasul, tesul (“die”), from Latin tessella (“die, cube”).

Noun

die (plural dies)

1. The cubical part of a pedestal; a plinth.
2. A device for cutting into a specified shape.
3. A device used to cut an external screw thread. (Internal screw threads are cut with a tap.)
4. A mold for forming metal or plastic objects.
5. An embossed device used in stamping coins and medals.
7. (semiconductors, plural also dice) An oblong chip fractured from a semiconductor wafer engineered to perform as an independent device or integrated circuit.
   • 2002, John L. Hennessy, David A. Patterson, Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach, Elsevier, →ISBN, page 19:

     The number of dies per wafer is basically the area of the wafer divided by the area of the die.

   • 2009, Paul R. Gray, Analysis and Design of Analog Integrated Circuits, 5th edition, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 159:

     Once the wafer has undergone the wafer-probe test, it is separated into individual dice by sawing or scribing and breaking. The dice are visually inspected, sorted, and readied for assembly into packages.

8. Any small cubical or square body.
   • 1741, I[saac] Watts, The Improvement of the Mind: Or, A Supplement to the Art of Logick: […], London: […] James Brackstone, […], →OCLC:

     Some young creatures have learnt their letters and syllables, and the pronouncing and spelling of words, by having them pasted or written upon many little flat tablets or dies.

Noun

die (plural dice or (nonstandard) dies)

2. An isohedral polyhedron, usually a cube, with numbers or symbols on each side and thrown in games of chance.

   Most dice are six-sided.

   I rolled the die and moved 2 spaces on the board.

   • 1748, [David Hume], “Of Probability”, in Philosophical Essays Concerning Human Understanding, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, page 94:

     If a Dye were mark’d with one Figure or Number of Spots on four Sides, and with another Figure or Number of Spots on the two remaining Sides, ’twould be more probable, that the former ſhould turn up than the latter;

   • 2000, Richard Shoup, edited by Barry Lenson, Take Control Of Your Life: How to Control Fate, Luck, Chaos, Karma, and Life’s Other Unruly Forces, McGraw-Hill, →ISBN, page 42:

     When you roll two dies—or three, or four—the odds of obtaining a specific number becomes complex in a logarithmic progression.

   • 2012, Rinaldo B. Schinazi, “Probability Space”, in Probability with Statistical Applications, 2nd edition, Birkhäuser, →ISBN, “Independent Events”, “Exercises”, page 16:

     We roll two dies repeatedly until we get the first double.

   • 2014, Ionut Florescu, Ciprian A. Tudor, Handbook of Probability, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., →ISBN:

     Roll two dies 24 times. What is the probability of rolling at least one double 6?

   • 2017 December 8, “Adorable Kitten”, in Unstable, Wizards of the Coast:

     When this creature enters the battlefield, roll a six-sided die. You gain life equal to the result.

3. (obsolete) That which is, or might be, determined, by a throw of the die; hazard; chance.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto V”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 13, page 249:

     […] For th'equall die of warre he well did know.

Usage notes

The game of dice is singular. Thus in "Dice is a game played with dice," the first occurrence is singular, the second occurrence is plural. See also the usage notes under "dice".

Synonyms

• cube of chance
• cube of fortune

Derived terms

• beer die
• coin die
• counterdie
• d10
• d100
• d1000
• d12
• d20
• d4
• d6
• d66
• d666
• d8
• die bonder
• die cap
• die-cast
• die-casting
• die-cut
• die cutting
• die grinder
• dieless
• dielike
• diemaker
• die plate
• diesinker
• diesinker
• diesinking
• diestock
• diework
• fuzzy die
• loaded dice
• on-die
• poker die
• the die is cast
• tool and die

 

Translations

See die/translations § Noun.

Etymology 3

Variant spelling.

Noun

die (plural dies)

1. Obsolete spelling of dye.
   • 1749, Henry Fielding, Tom Jones:

     He hath carried his friendship to this man to a blameable length, by too long concealing facts of the blackest die.

Verb

die (third-person singular simple present dies, present participle dying, simple past and past participle died)

1. Obsolete spelling of dye.
   • 1739, John Cay, An abridgment of the publick statutes in force and use from Magna Charta, in the ninth year of King Henry III, to the eleventh year of his present Majesty King George II, inclusive, Drapery, XXVII. Sect. 16:

     Also no dyer shall die any cloth, except he die the cloth and the list with one colour, without tacking any bulrushes or such like thing upon the lists, upon pain to forfeit 40 s. for every cloth. And no person shall put to sale any cloth deceitfully dyed,

   • 1813, James Haigh, The Dier's Assistant in the Art of Dying Wool and Woollen Goods:

     To die wool with madder, prepare a fresh liquor, and when the water is come to a heat to bear the hand, put in half a pound of the finest grape madder for each pound of wool;

   • 1827, John Shepard, The artist & tradesman's guide: embracing some leading facts:

     To die Wool and Woollen Cloths of a Blue Colour. One part of indigo, in four parts concentrated sulphuric acid, dissolved; then add one part of dry carbonate of potash, [...]

See also

terms etymologically unrelated to the above

• adjournment sine die
• de die ad diem
• de die in diem
• die-die
• sine die

 

Anagrams

• 'eid, EID, e-ID, IED, -ide, DEI, EDI, eID, Ide, Eid, 'Eid, IDE, ide, -ied, eid

Afrikaans

Alternative forms

• di (obsolete)

Etymology

From Dutch die, which is used only as a demonstrative in Dutch. The replacement of the article de with stronger die is also common in Surinamese Dutch and among non-native speakers of Dutch.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /di/
• IPA^(key): /‿i/ (article only; contracted form, particularly after prepositions and conjunctions)

• Audio:

  (file)

Article

die (definite)

1. the (definite article)

   die man ― the man

   die vrou ― the woman

   die kind ― the child

Pronoun

die

1. this one, these; that one, those;

   Die dokter het gesê dat jy siek is. Die is die rede hoekom jy in die bed moet bly.

   The doctor said that you are sick. That is the reason why you must stay in bed.

Usage notes

• The demonstrative pronoun (“this/these”, “that/those”) is usually spelt dié in order to distinguish it from the definite article.

Albanian

Adverb

die

1. Alternative form of dje (“yesterday”)

Bavarian

Pronoun

die (dative)

1. (Niederbayerisch) to you

Danish

Etymology

From Old Danish di, from Old Norse *día, from Proto-Germanic *dijōną, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁(y)- (“to suck, suckle”).

Cognate with Latin fellō, Sanskrit धयति (dhayati, “to suck”). Compare causative dægge, Gothic 𐌳𐌰𐌳𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (daddjan, “suckle”).

The noun is derived from the verb.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /diːə/, [ˈd̥iːə]

Noun

die c

1. breast milk, mother's milk, when sucked from the breast

Usage notes

Only used in the set phrase "give die".

Verb

die (imperative di, infinitive at die, present tense dier, past tense diede, perfect tense har diet)

1. to suckle

References

• “die,1” in Den Danske Ordbog
• “die,2” in Den Danske Ordbog

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch die, a merger of Old Dutch thie, thē, thia, thiu and similar forms of the demonstrative. As in Old High German ther, der it replaced the original masculine and feminine nominative forms from Proto-Germanic *sa.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /di/
• Hyphenation: die
• Rhymes: -i

Determiner

die

1. that (masculine, feminine); referring to a thing or a person further away.

   die boom

   that tree

   die vrouw

   that woman

2. those (plural); referring to things or people further away.

   die vensters

   those windows

3. (Suriname, colloquial) a certain, a particular; some; this; referring to a thing or a person invisible or unknown to the audience.

   Die vrouw vraagt als iemand aardvruchten wil kopen. ― A woman is asking if anyone wants to buy root vegetables.

   Ik heb die wagen geslagen. ― I hit a car.

Declension

	Sg. m.	Sg. f.	Sg. n.	Pl.
Nom.	die	die	dat	die
Gen.	diens van dien	dier van die	(diens) van dat	dier van die
Dat.	dien aan dien	dier aan die	(dien) aan dat	dien aan die
Acc.	dien	die	dat	die

Dutch demonstrative determiners
	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
Proximal	deze	deze	dit	deze
Distal	die	die	dat	die
Possessive	diens	dier	diens	dier

Descendants

• Afrikaans: die
• Berbice Creole Dutch: dida
• Jersey Dutch: dî
• Negerhollands: die, di, i, dida, da die

Pronoun

die m or f or pl

1. (relative) who, whom, which, that

   Ik ken geen mensen die dat kunnen.

   I don't know any people who can do that.

   Oh, maar ik ken iemand die dat wel kan!

   Oh, but I know somebody who can!

Usage notes

A preceding comma may alter the meaning of a clause starting with a relative pronoun. Compare the following sentences:

• Alle arbeiders die staken zullen op sancties moeten rekenen.

  All workers who are on strike should expect sanctions.

• Alle arbeiders, die staken, zullen op sancties moeten rekenen.

  All workers, who are on strike, should expect sanctions.

In the first sentence, only the workers on strike are advised to expect sanctions. In the second sentence, the parenthetical phrase indicates that all the workers are on strike, and should all expect sanctions.

Derived terms

• indien

 

German

Etymology

From Middle High German die (acc. f. sg. & nom./acc. m./f. pl.), originally distinguished from diu (nom. f. sg. & nom./acc. n. pl.). This distinction was lost early on in Central German, by the end of the Middle High German period also in Upper German. Ultimately from inflections of Proto-Germanic *sa, which see.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /diː/ (stressed)

  • Audio:

    (file)

  • Audio:

    (file)

• IPA^(key): /dɪ/ (unstressed)
• Rhymes: -iː

Article

die (definite)

1. nominative/accusative singular feminine of der

   die Frau ― the woman

2. nominative/accusative plural of der

   die Männer ― the men

Declension

German definite articles
	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
Nominative	der	die	das	die
Genitive	des	der	des	der
Dative	dem	der	dem	den
Accusative	den	die	das	die

Pronoun

die (relative or demonstrative)

1. inflection of der:
   1. nominative/accusative singular feminine
   2. nominative/accusative plural
   3. (in a subordinate clause as a relative pronoun) that; which; who; whom; whose

      Ich kenne eine Frau, die das kann. ― I know a woman who can do that.

   4. (as a demonstrative pronoun) this one; that one; these ones; those ones; she; her; it; they; them

      die da ― that one/she/they there

Usage notes

In a subordinate clause, die indicates a person or thing referenced in the main clause. It is used with plural or feminine singular antecedents.

Declension

Declension of der
	masculine	feminine	neuter	plural
nominative	der	die	das	die
genitive	dessen	deren derer	dessen	deren derer
dative	dem	der	dem	denen
accusative	den	die	das	die

Anagrams

• Eid

Hunsrik

Alternative forms

• ti (Wiesemann spelling system)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ti(ː)/

Article

die (definite)

1. inflection of där:
   1. nominative/accusative singular feminine
   2. nominative/accusative plural all genders

Declension

Hunsrik definite articles

	nominative		accusative		dative
	str.	unstr.	str.	unstr.	str.	unstr.
Masculine	där	de	där	de	dem
Feminine	die		die		där	de
Neuter	das		das		dem
Plural	die		die		den	de

Further reading

• Online Hunsrik Dictionary

Interlingua

Noun

die (plural dies)

1. A day.

Derived terms

• De die in die (“From day to day”)
• Un die (“One day, sometime”)
• Le die sequente (“The next day, the following day”)

Italian

Etymology

From Latin diēs, back-formed from the accusative diem (whose vowel was once long), from Proto-Italic *djēm, from Proto-Indo-European *dyew- (“heaven, sky; to shine”). Doublet of dia.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdi.e/
• Rhymes: -ie
• Hyphenation: dì‧e

Noun

die m (invariable)

1. (Old Italian) Alternative form of dì (“day”)
   • 1310s, Dante Alighieri, “Canto XXX”, in Purgatorio [Purgatory]‎^[5], lines 103–105; republished as Giorgio Petrocchi, editor, La Commedia secondo l'antica vulgata [The Commedia according to the ancient vulgate]‎^[6], 2^nd revised edition, Florence: publ. Le Lettere, 1994:

     "Voi vigilate ne l’etterno die,
     sì che notte né sonno a voi non fura
     passo che faccia il secol per sue vie["]

     You keep watch in the eternal day, so that neither night nor sleep steals from you one step the age makes on its path."

Adverb

die

1. (pharmacy) each day, a day, used in prescriptions to denote daily consumption of a drug

   1 c[om]p[ressa]/die ― 1 tablet a day

Anagrams

• -ide, dei, dèi

Jamaican Creole

Etymology

Derived from English day.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /die/

Noun

die (plural die dem, quantified die)

1. day
   • 2012, Di Jamiekan Nyuu Testiment, Edinburgh: DJB, published 2012, →ISBN, Matyu 27:62:

     Di neks die, dat a did di Sabat die […]

     The next day, which was the Sabbath day […]

Further reading

• die at majstro.com

Japanese

Etymology

Appropriation of English die for a homophone.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) だい [dáꜜì] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [da̠i]

Prefix

die(だい) • (dai-) 

1. (slang, humorous) Alternative spelling of 大 (dai)

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈdi.eː/, [ˈd̪ieː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈdi.e/, [ˈd̪iːe]

Noun

diē m or f

1. ablative singular of diēs (“day”)

   sine die ― without a day

Mandarin

Romanization

die

1. Nonstandard spelling of diē.
2. Nonstandard spelling of dié.

Usage notes

• Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Middle Dutch

Etymology 1

From Old Dutch thie, thia, from Proto-Germanic *sa.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /diə/, /di/

Article

die

1. the; definite article.

Inflection

Article
		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
Nominative		die	die	dat	die
Accusative		den	die	dat	die
Genitive		des	der	des	der
Dative		den	der	den	den

• Alternative nominative: de

Descendants

• Dutch: de
• Limburgish: d'r, de

Determiner

die

1. that, those
2. who, which, that
   • 1249, Schepenbrief van Bochoute, Velzeke, eastern Flanders:

     Descepenen van bochouta quedden alle degene die dese lettren sien selen i(n) onsen here.

     The aldermen of Bochoute address all who will see this letter by our lord.

Inflection

Determiner
		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
Nominative		die	die	dat	die
Accusative		dien	die	dat	die
Genitive		dies	dier	dies	dier
Dative		dien	dier	dien	dien

• diere is an alternative form of dier

Descendants

• Dutch: die, dat
• Limburgish: dae

Further reading

• “die (II)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “die (I)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page I

Etymology 2

From Old Dutch thīo, from Proto-Germanic *þeuhą.

Noun

dië f or n

1. thigh

Descendants

• Dutch: dij
• Limburgish: die, diech

Further reading

• “die (I)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “die (IV)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page IV

Mirandese

Etymology

Inherited from Classical Latin diēs.

Noun

die m (plural dies)

1. day

Antonyms

• nuite

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

Probably from Danish die, from Old Danish di, from Germanic *dijana-, *dejana-

Verb

die (imperative di, present tense dier, passive dies, simple past and past participle dia or diet, present participle diende)

1. to suck, suckle (of a baby on the breast)
2. to breastfeed, nurse (of a mother with her baby)

References

• “die” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “die_2” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

Probably from Danish die, from Old Danish di, from Germanic *dijana-, *dejana-

Verb

die (present tense diar, past tense dia, past participle dia, passive infinitive diast, present participle diande, imperative die/di)

1. to suck, suckle (of a baby on the breast)
2. to breastfeed, nurse (of a mother with her baby)

Alternative forms

• dia

References

• “die” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Pennsylvania German

Etymology

From Middle High German and Old High German diu, from Proto-Germanic *sa. Compare German die.

Article

die (definite)

1. nominative/accusative singular feminine of der
2. nominative/accusative plural of der

Declension

Pennsylvania German definite articles
	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
Nominative	der	die	es	die
Dative	dem or em	der	dem or em	de
Accusative	der or den	die	es	die

Plautdietsch

Pronoun

die

1. (personal) oblique of du

Romanian

Interjection

die

1. Alternative form of di

Saterland Frisian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /di/
• Hyphenation: die
• Rhymes: -i

Etymology 1

From Old Frisian thī, from Proto-West Germanic *þa, from Proto-Germanic *sa. Cognates include West Frisian de and German der.

Article

die (unstressed de, oblique dän, feminine ju, neuter dät, plural do)

1. the

Etymology 2

From Old Frisian thī, from Proto-West Germanic *þiʀ, from Proto-Germanic *þiz. Cognates include West Frisian dy and German dir.

Pronoun

die

1. thyself, yourself

See also

Saterland Frisian reflexive pronouns

	1st	2nd	3rd
singular	mie	die	sik
plural	uus	jou

Pronoun

die

1. oblique of du; thee, you

See also

Saterland Frisian personal pronouns

	singular					plural
	1st	2nd	3rd m	3rd f	3rd n	1st	2nd	3rd
stressed	iek	du	hie	ju	dät	wie	jie	jo
unstressed			er	ze	et			ze
objective	mie	die	him	hier	dät	uus	jou	hier

References

• Marron C. Fort (2015) “die”, in Saterfriesisches Wörterbuch mit einer phonologischen und grammatischen Übersicht, Buske, →ISBN

Teanu

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *suʀi (“fishbone, thorn, splinter”), from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *zuʀi, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *duʀi, from Proto-Austronesian *duʀi (“thorn”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ⁿdie/

Noun

die

1. bone

References

• François, Alexandre. 2021. Teanu dictionary (Solomon Islands). Dictionaria 15. 1-1877. DOI:10.5281/zenodo.5653063. – entry die.
• François, Alexandre. 2021. Online Teanu–English dictionary, with equivalents in Lovono and Tanema. Electronic files. Paris: CNRS. – entry die.
• Lackey, W.J.. & Boerger, B.H. (2021) “Reexamining the Phonological History of Oceanic's Temotu subgroup”, in Oceanic Linguistics.

Turkish

Adverb

die

1. (text messaging) Alternative spelling of diye

Yola

Alternative forms

• dei, dey, daie

Etymology

From Middle English day, from Old English dæġ, from Proto-West Germanic *dag.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /diː/
• Homophone: dee

Noun

die (plural dais or daies or daiez)

1. day
   • 1867, GLOSSARY OF THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, page 52:

     Leiough ut ee die.

     Idle out the day.

   • 1867, “CASTEALE CUDDE'S LAMENTATION”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 1, page 102:

     Dhicka die fan ich want to a mile.

     That day when I went to the mill.

   • 1867, “ABOUT AN OLD SOW GOING TO BE KILLED”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 1, page 106:

     Mot earch oan to aar die. Ich mosth kotch a bat.

     But every one to his day. I must catch the bat.

   • 1867, “SONG”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 3, page 108:

     Shoo zent him o' die.

     She sent him one day.

   • 1867, “SONG”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 6, page 108:

     Shoo zent him anoor die a gozleen to keep;

     She sent him another day the goslings to keep;

Derived terms

• to-die
• hollydie
• die oaskean
• daaily
• Michaulmas Die

References

• Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828) William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 35