Mortify
/ˈmɔː.tɪ.faɪ/noun
To cause someone to feel embarrassed or ashamed.
Did you know?The term 'mortify' has roots in rituals where practitioners sought to suppress desires, akin to a symbolic death of the self in spiritual practices.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*mr̥tós
“dead, death”
Latin
Latin
mortificare
“to kill, to put to death”
Old French
Old French
mortifier
“to deaden, to kill the spirit or desires”
Middle English
Middle English
mortifien
“to humiliate or embarrass, to cause death to the ego”
Modern English
English
mortify
“to subdue one’s passions or desires, to humiliate.”