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morbide

morbid

adjective mor-BEED Rare

Origin: Latin morbidus, from morbus (disease)

Usage Note

Morbide describes an unhealthy preoccupation with death, disease, or the macabre — une fascination morbide. It is invariable for gender. The related noun morbidité (f) is a medical term for the rate of disease in a population. In everyday speech, morbide is often used hyperbolically to mean 'dark' or 'grim'.

Examples

"Il a un humour un peu morbide."

Natural Translation

He has a slightly morbid sense of humour.

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