I. ˈded adjective
Etymology: Middle English deed, from Old English dēad; akin to Old Norse dauthr dead, deyja to die, Old High German tōt dead — more at die
Date: before 12th century
1. : deprived of life : no longer alive
2.
a.
(1) : having the appearance of death : deathly
in a dead faint
(2) : lacking power to move, feel, or respond : numb
b. : very tired
c.
(1) : incapable of being stirred emotionally or intellectually : unresponsive
dead to pity
(2) : grown cold : extinguished
dead coals
3.
a. : inanimate , inert
dead matter
b. : barren , infertile
dead soil
c. : no longer producing or functioning : exhausted
a dead battery
4.
a.
(1) : lacking power or effect
a dead law
(2) : no longer having interest, relevance, or significance
a dead issue
b. : no longer in use : obsolete
a dead language
c. : no longer active : extinct
a dead volcano
d. : lacking in gaiety or animation
a dead party
e.
(1) : lacking in commercial activity : quiet
(2) : commercially idle or unproductive
dead capital
f. : lacking elasticity
a dead tennis ball
g. : being out of action or out of use
the phone went dead
specifically : free from any connection to a source of voltage and free from electric charges
h.
(1) : being out of play
a dead ball
(2) : temporarily forbidden to play or to make a certain play in croquet
5.
a. : not running or circulating : stagnant
dead water
b. : not turning
the dead center of a lathe
c. : not imparting motion or power although otherwise functioning
a dead rear axle
d. : lacking warmth, vigor, or taste
6.
a. : absolutely uniform
a dead level
b.
(1) : unerring
(2) : exact
dead center of the target
(3) : certain to be doomed
he's dead if he's late for curfew
(4) : irrevocable
a dead loss
c. : abrupt
brought to a dead stop
d.
(1) : complete , absolute
a dead silence
(2) : all-out
caught it on the dead run
7. : devoid of former occupants
dead villages
• dead·ness noun
•
- dead in the water
- dead to rights
- over one's dead body
Synonyms:
dead , defunct , deceased , departed , late mean devoid of life. dead applies literally to what is deprived of vital force but is used figuratively of anything that has lost any attribute (as energy, activity, radiance) suggesting life
a dead, listless performance
defunct stresses cessation of active existence or operation
a defunct television series
deceased , departed , and late apply to persons who have died recently. deceased is the preferred term in legal use
the estate of the deceased
departed is used usually as a euphemism
our departed sister
late is used especially with reference to a person in a specific relation or status
the company's late president
II. noun
( plural dead )
Date: before 12th century
1. : one that is dead — usually used collectively
2. : the state of being dead
raised him from the dead — Colossians 2:12 (Revised Standard Version)
3. : the time of greatest quiet
the dead of night
III. adverb
Date: 14th century
1. : absolutely , utterly
dead certain
finished dead last
2. : suddenly and completely
stopped dead
3. : directly
dead ahead