timor mortis conturbat me

the fear of death confounds me

Notes

Refrain originating in the response to the seventh lesson in the Office of the Dead. In the Middle Ages, this service was read each day by clerics. As a refrain, it appears also in other poems and can frequently be found inscribed on tombs.

Words

mors – death
mora – delay
timor – alarm, dread, fear, object causing fear
moror – linger, remain, reside, to stay
mores – character, conduct, morals, ways