deathbed
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English[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Middle English dethbed, from Old English dēaþbedd (“deathbed; grave”), equivalent to death + bed. Cognate with Swedish dödsbädd (“deathbed”). Compare also Dutch sterfbed (“deathbed”), German Sterbebett and Totenbett (both “deathbed”), Danish dødsleje (“deathbed”).
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
deathbed (plural deathbeds)
- The bed on which someone dies.
- 1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 254:
- He was once on his way to an old woman, who was on her death-bed and who had led a wicked life.
- The last hours before death.
Usage notes[edit]
All three forms deathbed, death-bed, death bed are in use but deathbed seems to be preferred.
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
the bed on which someone dies
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Categories:
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms inherited from Old English
- English terms derived from Old English
- English compound terms
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- English nouns
- English countable nouns
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- en:Death