Meanings
- not comparableNot mortal; not susceptible to death; immortal.
The goddis unmortal haue made al thinges cõmunicable to mẽ mortal, except imortalite: ⁊ therfore they be callid ĩmortal, bicauſe they neuer dy, ⁊ we be called mortal and fallyng, bicauſe we all take an ende.
The gods unmortal have made all things communicable to men mortal, except immortality: & therefore they be called immortal, because they never die, & we be called mortal and falling, because we all take an end.
1531 March 20 (date written; Gregorian calendar), [Antonio de Guevara], “A Letter Sente by Marc the Emperour to Cyncinatus His Frende, bycause He Beinge a Gentylman Became a Marchant. The .VII. Letter.”, in John Bourcher knyghte Lord Barners [i.e., John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners], transl., The Golden Boke of Marcus Aurelius Emperour and Eloquent Oratour, London: […] Thomæ Bertheleti […], published 1535, →OCLC, folio 120, recto1 more example
Man loves the frozen touch of fear, and realizes pure terror only when touched by the unmortal. The hint of spectral sounds or presences quickens the imagination as no other suggestion can do, and no human shapes of fear can awe the soul as those from beyond the grave.
2022, Dorothy Scarborough, The Supernatural in Modern English Fiction
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*né
- Proto-Indo-European*n̥-
- Proto-Germanic*un-
- Proto-West Germanic*un-
- Old Englishun-
- Middle Englishun-
- Englishun-
- Proto-Indo-European*mer-
- Proto-Indo-European*mértis ~ *mr̥téys
- Proto-Italic*mortis
- Latinmors
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
- Latinmortālis
- Old Frenchmortal /mortel
- Middle Englishmortal /mortel
- Englishmortal
- Englishunmortal
From un- (prefix meaning ‘not’) + mortal (adjective).
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with unmortal
All rhymes →Cite this entry
unmortal. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unmortal
“unmortal.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unmortal. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “unmortal,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unmortal.
Source: unmortal on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.