Meanings
plural dormitions
- countableuncountableThe process of falling asleep.
- countableeuphemisticuncountableThe process of death or the actual death itself.
- capitalizedcountableoftenuncountableEastern OrthodoxyThe death and assumption into heaven of the Virgin Mary.
The Virgin had allegedly given away her robe just before her death – what is in Eastern tradition called her Dormition, or falling asleep.
2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity, Penguin, published 2010, page 507Synonyms: koimesis
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe death and assumption into heaven of the Virgin Mary.
More synonyms by meaning
nouncelebration in the Eastern Orthodox Church of the Virgin Mary's being taken up into heaven when her earthly life ended; corresponds to the Assumption in the Roman Catholic Church and is also celebrated on August 15th
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latindormītiōnem
- Middle Frenchdormition
- Englishdormition
Borrowed from Middle French dormition, from Latin dormītiōnem.
More words from Middle French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic رُقَاد
- رُقَاد (ruqād)the death and assumption of the Virgin Mary
Catalan dormició, adormiment
- dormiciófalling asleep
- adormimentfalling asleep
- dormicióthe death and assumption of the Virgin Mary
Finnish nukahtaminen, kuoleminen
- nukahtaminenfalling asleep
- kuoleminenthe process of death
- poisnukkuminenthe process of death
- kuolemathe process of death
- kuolemathe actual death
- kuolonuneen nukkuminenthe death and assumption of the Virgin Mary
French dormition
- dormitionthe death and assumption of the Virgin Mary
Hungarian elalvás, elszenderedés
- elalvásfalling asleep
- elszenderedésfalling asleep
- elszenderülésfalling asleep
- elszunnyadásfalling asleep
- elhunytathe actual death
- halálthe actual death
- elszenderedésthe death and assumption of the Virgin Mary
Japanese 睡眠, 永眠
- 睡眠 (suimin)falling asleep
- 永眠 (eimin)the actual death
- 瞑目 (meimoku)the actual death
Russian успе́ние
- успе́ние (uspénije)the death and assumption of the Virgin Mary
Spanish adormimiento, adormecimiento
- adormimientofalling asleep
- adormecimientofalling asleep
- dormiciónthe death and assumption of the Virgin Mary
Swedish avsomnande, insomnande
- avsomnandefalling asleep
- insomnandefalling asleep
- insomningfalling asleep
Ukrainian успі́ння
- успі́ння (uspínnja)the death and assumption of the Virgin Mary
Cite this entry
dormition. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dormition
“dormition.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dormition. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dormition,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dormition.
Source: dormition on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.