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Glite Dictionary
antemortem

antemortem

9.9
Happening before someone dies
  • adjective
  • /ˌæntɪˈmɔrtəm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : antemortem
  • The doctors reviewed the antemortem records to understand the patient's condition before death.

Examples

  • The coroner emphasized the importance of antemortem examinations in determining the cause of death.

  • During the investigation, the team focused on antemortem evidence to piece together the man's last days.

  • Putting a choke hold on my emotions, I described the progress I was making with my own cases, reassembling the corpses of two bikers who'd been blown apart by their own folly, and asked when antemortem medical records would be available.

    Fiction book (2001)

Synonyms

premortal
vsantemortem
9.2

Happens before a person dies

is the more formal term for the same idea
pre-death
vsantemortem
7.6

Happening before a person dies

is used more generally for any death rather than only people

Antonyms

postmortem
  • Specialized
1 7.2

Happening after someone has died, often about an exam to find the cause

Surface Forms

antemortem positive

Morphology

antemortem = ante + mortem

Formally composed of the Latin combining form 'ante-' (before) + 'mortem' (death); the components are recognizable in technical/medical contexts but not transparent to an average B1 learner unfamiliar with Latin-derived medical vocabulary.

Etymology

The word antemortem comes from Latin parts ante- 'before' and -mortem 'death', the same root as in mortuary 'place for the dead' and mortal 'able to die'. So antemortem means 'before death' and is used for things that happened while a person was still alive.