muerto

Muerto is a Spanish noun and adjective meaning “dead” or “the dead.” As a noun, it refers to a deceased person, typically masculine: un muerto. As an adjective, it describes something that is no longer alive or that is nonfunctional, such as un teléfono muerto or un cuerpo muerto. The feminine forms are muerta (adjective) and la muerta (the dead person).

Etymology and forms: Muerto derives from the verb morir and from the Latin root mort- meaning death. It is the past participle form used in various constructions. The term is widely used in idioms and fixed expressions to convey extremity or completion, such as muerto de hambre (starving), muerto de cansancio (exhausted), or muerto de risa (laughing uncontrollably), with regional variations in exact usage.

Usage and cultural notes: In Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) and in folklore, references to the deceased are common, and muerto appears in poems, epitaphs, and calaveras. In journalism and everyday speech, it can refer to a corpse or to a nonfunctional object (el teléfono está muerto) or to a very tired person. The word carries no specific political or religious meaning beyond its core sense of death; in formal contexts, fallecido or difunto may be used instead of muerto.