interire

Interire is a Latin verb meaning to die or perish. It is an intransitive verb used to express the end of life or the destruction of something, and it appears in classical prose and poetry with a solemn or fatal sense. Beyond literal death, it can be used metaphorically to signify something coming to an end or ceasing to exist.

Its principal parts are intereo, interire, interivi (or interii), interitum. Interire is irregular and belongs to the small group of intransitive verbs built around the verb to go, eo. The verb forms a standard Latin imperfective and perfect system, with the perfect often appearing as interivi or interii and the supine as interitum. Because it is intransitive, it does not take a direct object.

Usage of interire is common in epic, historical, and elegiac contexts, where death, destruction, or cessation is being described. It is typically translated as “to die” or “to perish,” and can convey a sense of fate or inevitable end. In contrast to mori, a deponent verb meaning “to die,” interire operates in the active voice with ordinary (non-deponent) morphology.

Examples include milites interierunt (the soldiers perished in battle) and hostes interierunt (the enemies died). The verb is often paired with adjectives or circumstances emphasizing finality or doom, reinforcing its grave or decisive connotation.

See also: perire (to perish), mori (to die, deponent). Interire remains a compact but vivid option for expressing mortality or demise in Latin texts.