adv. and pred. . [a. Fr. à mort at or to death; but it appears that the Fr. à la mort ‘to the death’ was orig. adopted, and corrupted to all amort, the Fr. å mort excusing the change, and leading to the use of amort without all.]
In the state or act of death; lifeless, inanimate; fig. spiritless, dejected. a. with all. (See also ALAMORT, the original form.)
c. 1590. Greene, Friar Bacon, I. i. Shall he thus all amort live malcontent?
1591. Shaks., 1 Hen. VI., III. ii. 124. Now where’s the Bastards braues, and Charles his glikes? What all amort?
1600. Holland, Livy, XXXIV. xxvi. 868 i. They were all amort [obpressam] for feare.
1659. Burroughs, Beatitudes (1867), 128. If God do not answer thee presently, thou art all-a-mort and discouraged.
1839. Bailey, Festus, xxx. (1848), 343. Why look ye all amort?
b. without all (suggested however in first quot.).
1619. H. Hutton, Follie’s Anat. (1842), 24. She counts him but a nazard, halfe a-mort.
1667. Waterhouse, Fire of Lond., 62. Without it [Gods allowance] all is abortive and amort.
1840. Browning, Sordello, VI. Wks. 1863, III. 435. Untasked of any love, His sensitiveness idled, now amort, Alive now.
