all-a-mort

English

Etymology

Possibly from French à la mort (“to death; in abundance”)

Pronunciation

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Adjective

all-a-mort (not comparable)

1. (obsolete) Sad, as if at death's door.
   • c. 1590–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):

     How fares my Kate? What, sweet one, all-a-mort?

2. (idiomatic, archaic) Struck dumb, confounded.

See also

• mort

References

• [Francis] Grose [et al.] (1811) “All-a-mort”, in Lexicon Balatronicum. A Dictionary of Buckish Slang, University Wit, and Pickpocket Eloquence. […], London: […] C. Chappell, […], →OCLC.