Spanish Conversation · Level 11
90 words
Spanish word
muerto
Pronunciation
IPA/ˈmweɾto/
Meaning
- adjectivedead
Example
El pájaro está muerto.
The bird is dead.
More examples
Lo dieron por muerto tras el accidente.
They considered him dead after the accident.
Core concept
Resultant state after the act of dying.
Common phrases
dar por muerto
consider dead
muerto de hambre
starving
Similar words
descargado: Battery- or power-depleted, preventing an electronic device from operating.
apagado: Powered off or with its switch down, producing no light or function.
Definition in Spanish
Expresa que alguien o algo no vive ya; también es el participio pasado del verbo morir.
Word origin
Muerto is the past participle of morir and ultimately derives from Latin mortuus (from morior 'to die'), adopted into Spanish via Vulgar Latin as both participle and adjective.
Usage tips
- Muerto is frequently applied to objects or devices to mean 'not working' (batería muerta, disco duro muerto), so context determines literal death versus figurative failure.