lethal
adjectivenounnouncommon in dialogue
- //ˈliː.θəl//
Of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal.
adjective
- 1
Of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal.
Whether modern, industrial man is less or more warlike than his hunter-gatherer ancestors is impossible to determine. The machine gun is so much more lethal than the bow and arrow that comparisons are meaningless.
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”).
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.
Etymology
Abbreviation of “lauric acid ethereal salt”, so called because it occurs in the ethereal salt of lauric acid.
Forms
- plural
- lethals
- comparative
- more lethal
- superlative
- most lethal
lethal · Of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal.
letter · A symbol in an alphabet.letters · Literature (school subject).letting · Synonym of tenancy.