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Give up the ghost

verb

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To cease clinging to life; to die. idiomatic, intransitive

    "And Ieſus cryed with a loude voice, and gaue vp the ghoſt."

  2. 2
    To quit; to cease functioning. figuratively, idiomatic, intransitive

    "My old computer finally gave up the ghost the other day."

  3. 3
    To cede a commitment to or identification with. intransitive

    "But McCartney, 50, is hardly ready to give up the ghost of his creative past."

Etymology

Literally, to release one's spirit or soul from the body at death. From Middle English "gaf up þe gost", "ʒave up þe gost", from Old English phrases as "hēo āġeaf hire gāst" (literally, "she gave up her ghost [spirit]"), "þæt iċ gāst mīnne āġifan mōte" (literally, "that I must give up my ghost [spirit]"). Compare German den Geist aufgeben and Dutch de geest geven. Perhaps most notable and survived in modern English for being used in traditional translation during the death of Jesus during His crucifixion: The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], 1611, →OCLC, Matthew 27:50: “¶ Iesus, when hee had cried againe with a loud voice, yeelded vp the ghost.”

See also for "give up the ghost"

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