English Explanatory Dictionary

lethal

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal.
noun
  1. Any weapon that causes death.
  2. An allele that causes the death of the organism that carries it.
noun
  1. One of the higher alcohols of the paraffine series obtained from spermaceti as a white crystalline solid.

Pronunciation

/ˈliː.θəl/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-lethal.wav

Word forms

lethal more lethal most lethal lethals

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin lētālis (“deadly, mortal, fatal”), improperly written lēthālis, from lētum (“death”), improperly written as lēthum, from a supposed connection with Ancient Greek λήθη (lḗthē, “oblivion, forgetfulness”).

Antonyms

non-lethal

Related words

nonlethality semilethality sublethality sublethally

Derived words

coat color dilution lethal colethal cytolethal haplolethal hyperlethal less-lethal less-than-lethal lethal allele lethal chamber lethal congenital contracture syndrome lethal dose lethal gene lethal injection lethality lethally lethalness lethal time lethal white syndrome lethal yellowing lethal zone nonlethal non-lethal semilethal semi-lethal sublethal sub-lethal superlethal supralethal triplolethal ultralethal unlethal
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