deathly

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   resembling or suggesting death, especially by being extremely pale, still, cold, or unpleasant

   His face turned deathly pale when he opened the letter.

2. 2
   adj

   causing, capable of causing, or closely associated with death; literary

   A deathly odor rose from the newly disturbed earth.

3. 3
   adv

   to an extreme degree that resembles or suggests death

   The corridor became deathly quiet as the footsteps approached.

Appears in

From Middle English dethlich and Old English deathlic, formed from death + -ly. The adjective is ancient; its later adverbial use intensifies qualities such as paleness, cold, or silence by comparing them with death.

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary