in articulo mortis

English

WOTD – 2 November 2015

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin in articulō mortis (literally “in the article of death”), from in (“during; at”, preposition governing the ablative) + articulō, ablative singular form of articulus (“a joint; figuratively: a point in time, a moment”) + mortis, genitive singular of mors (“death”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˌɪnɑːˌtɪkjʊləʊˈmɔːtɪs/

Adverb

in articulo mortis (not comparable)

1. At the moment of death. (In law, especially canon, or church, law, this expression can mean that someone has been given special permission by a competent authority to enter an organization or to receive some sort of exemption or permission at some point not long before they die, such as receiving diaconal or presbyteral ordination or entering religious profession.)

   Synonym: (obsolete) in the article of death

   • 1845, Edgar Allan Poe, The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar:

     My attention, for the last three years, had been repeatedly drawn to the subject of Mesmerism; and, about nine months ago, it occurred to me, quite suddenly, that in the series of experiments made hitherto, there had been a very remarkable and most unaccountable omission: — no person had as yet been mesmerized in articulo mortis.

Translations

at the moment of death

• Czech: v okamžik u smrti
• Finnish: kuolinhetkellä
• French: à l’article de la mort (fr)
• Polish: w obliczu śmierci (pl)