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Tinned tongue
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This question was closed without grading. Reason: Other
Apr 18, 2019 14:45
5 yrs ago
4 viewers *
English term

process of dying

Non-PRO English Other General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters coming up with synonyms
How to say "he was dying away of starvation" (the process) without using the word "dye"? I can think about "fading", but I am not sure.

Thank you.
Responses
3 +4 he was wasting from starvation
3 +3 to wither away from starvation
2 -2 Melting of starvation
3 -3 the course of losing force/strength gradually
References
use of die away-not used with people actually dying afaik
Change log

Apr 18, 2019 15:04: writeaway changed "Field (write-in)" from "(none)" to "coming up with synonyms "

Apr 18, 2019 20:51: AllegroTrans changed "Level" from "PRO" to "Non-PRO"

Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

Non-PRO (3): Yvonne Gallagher, Barbara Carrara, AllegroTrans

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Discussion

AllegroTrans Apr 19, 2019:
@ BD Completely agree with you
B D Finch Apr 19, 2019:
@AllegroTrans Yes, but "dying away" can't be used of an individual person and the infinitive of the verb is "to die", not "to dye".
Mark Robertson Apr 18, 2019:
Quora.com "To die of: Use this when referring to the direct cause, such as cancer, or heart attack. To die from: Use when referring to an indirect agent. So - he died from exposure to radiation (and then the radiation produced cancer, which caused the death). The sheep died from the heat (which led to dehydration and so, death)." So some possibilties are: "He was dying of starvation/ starving to death / wasting away / slowly fading away"
AllegroTrans Apr 18, 2019:
Asker "Dying from starvation" is a perfectly valid expessiion. Is there any reason for not using the word "dying"? Is this translation or some test piece you have been given?
B D Finch Apr 18, 2019:
@ Taña It seems that the Asker is composing this himself. He does claim English as one of his target languages!
Taña Dalglish Apr 18, 2019:
Nice pun, Barbara! (smile). It would be good to see a few sentences in English and what the Asker is really trying to say! Asker can we see a few sentences and particularly where this term you are enquiring about occurs?
B D Finch Apr 18, 2019:
Not colour-fast? Perhaps he was turning blue as he absorbed the indigo from his jeans, as an alternative to eating?
writeaway Apr 18, 2019:
Is this some sort of homework assignment? It sounds like one. And dying "away" is almost as odd as to dye (meaning death) Although dyes can kill so one can die from a dye.
Taña Dalglish Apr 18, 2019:
dye
/dʌɪ/
noun
1.
a natural or synthetic substance used to add a colour to or change the colour of something.
"blonde hair dye"
sinónimos: colourant, colouring agent, colouring, colour, dyestuff, pigment, tint, stain, wash
"the cloth had been soaked in blue dye"
verb
1.
add a colour to or change the colour of (something) by soaking it in a solution impregnated with a dye.
"I dyed my hair blonde"
sinónimos: colour, tint, pigment, stain, wash, colour-wash, tinge, shade
"the gloves were dyed to match the dress"
Taña Dalglish Apr 18, 2019:
To boostrer To "die/dying away of starvation" is one thing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starvation. The word "dye" is another meaning (you don't dye of starvation). More....
Mark Robertson Apr 18, 2019:
Old soldiers Yes, dye does fade sometimes.

Responses

-2
8 mins

Melting of starvation

-
Peer comment(s):
neutral writeaway : Well, it's highly original at least
4 mins
Yes, I guess it is.
neutral JohnMcDove : How about "vanishing away" for a Potterian magic act? ;-)
2 hrs
That's cool I think :)
disagree AllegroTrans : application of heat??
3 hrs
disagree Yvonne Gallagher : really? How does one "melt" from starvation?//No, it doesn't mean that at all//No, it doesn't.
21 hrs
It is a metaphor! It means fading gradually. Of course it does.
neutral Daryo : with a shovelful (or two) of poetic licence, maybe ... or if the starting point was "clinically obese", another "maybe".
4 days
Something went wrong...
+4
13 mins

he was wasting from starvation

"They spoke in dazed, hushed tones of seeing upward of one hundred corpses along the trail, wasted from starvation." - https://books.google.com/books?id=OVAiCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA104&lpg=...
Peer comment(s):
agree Charles Davis : "Waste" would be my choice, and "from" is the right preposition; but although you can be wasted from starvation, as a intransitive verb "waste away" is more common and idiomatic than just "waste": "he was wasting away from starvation" would be fine.
35 mins
Thank you, Charles.
agree JohnMcDove : A little bit of context would be in order, but yes.
1 hr
Thank you, John.
agree AllegroTrans : this works but I cannot really see the point of the akser's question
3 hrs
agree Yvonne Gallagher : waste AWAY from is the idiom. But also don't see point of Asker's question
3 days 18 hrs
Something went wrong...
-3
2 hrs

the course of losing force/strength gradually

In this case: dying away/losing force or strength gradually of/because starvation.
Peer comment(s):
disagree Yvonne Gallagher : "the course of losing force" is not idiomatic English
19 hrs
disagree Tina Vonhof (X) : This is not correct English.
22 hrs
disagree AllegroTrans : Not correct English
3 days 7 hrs
Something went wrong...
+3
17 mins

to wither away from starvation

wither away - Translation into Arabic - examples English | Reverso ...
https://context.reverso.net/translation/english-arabic/withe...
She'd wither away like someone dying of thirst or starvation. ... believes that it would be a great step backward if the plan were simply allowed to wither away.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs (2019-04-18 18:17:06 GMT)
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Comment only: I agree with Allegro that "dying of starvation" is a common phrase, but not "dying away of starvation". It is assumed that English is not the Asker's native language, and the "question" (if you call it that) appears useless without additional context (which has been requested!).
Peer comment(s):
agree JohnMcDove : Ditto. :-) (re: context)
1 hr
Thanks John. I agree about the context.
agree AllegroTrans : OK but why Arabic?
3 hrs
Thanks. I don't get you ... Arabic? I said nothing about Arabic! (if you are referring to the 1st link - that is just the header - open the link!). It matters nought!//Was just use of the words "to wither away". I didn't mean to send an Arabic link.
agree Tina Vonhof (X)
6 hrs
Thank you Tina.
Something went wrong...

Reference comments

24 mins
Reference:

use of die away-not used with people actually dying afaik

If something, especially a sound, dies away, it gradually becomes reduced until it stops existing or disappears:
The sound of his footsteps gradually died away.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/die-away
Peer comments on this reference comment:
agree Charles Davis : I agree. I think the asker means becoming weaker (and thinner).
24 mins
agree Robert Forstag
1 hr
agree JohnMcDove
1 hr
agree Yvonne Gallagher : "he was dying away of starvation" is NOT standard English that's for sure. And insufficient context to know what is required exactly
2 days 37 mins
agree AllegroTrans : Not standard English but maybe either a world variant or simply the effort of a non-native EN speaker
3 days 9 hrs
Something went wrong...
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