morrendo

Morrendo is the gerund form of the Portuguese verb morrer, meaning "dying." It denotes an ongoing process of death or is used in expressions of intensity. In everyday language it often appears with auxiliary verbs to indicate a progressive action, as in "ele está morrendo" (he is dying). It also occurs in set phrases such as "morrendo de fome" (dying of hunger) and "morrendo de rir" (dying of laughter).

Etymology and form: The word is derived from the Latin morī, the infinitive of "to die," through the Romance development that yields the Portuguese morrer and its gerund morrendo. The spelling preserves the double "r" characteristic of the root mor(r)-.

Usage by variety: In Brazilian Portuguese, the gerund morrendo is common for conveying ongoing action. In European Portuguese, progressive meaning is often rendered with "a" + infinitive, e.g., "está a morrer" rather than "está morrendo." Nevertheless, morrendo is widely understood and used in both variants, especially in informal speech and media.

Idioms and figurative use: Beyond literal death, morrendo appears in idioms describing extreme states, such as "morrer de fome," "morrer de medo," or "morrer de rir." It can also appear in literary or rhetorical contexts to convey urgency or emotion.