Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - mortal

~1 adj 1 not living for ever  (Her father's death reminded her that she was mortal. | mortal creatures)  (- opposite immortal (1)) 2 mortal blow/injuries/danger etc causing death or likely to cause death  (He was dealt a mortal blow in the battle. | mortal combat (=fighting until one person kills the other))  (two gladiators locked in mortal combat)  (- compare lethal (1)) 3 mortal enemy/foe an enemy that you hate very much and always will hate 4 mortal fear/terror/dread extreme fear  (She lives in mortal fear of her husband's anger.) 5 only before noun old-fashioned used to emphasize the word that follows it, especially to show that you are annoyed  (Now I've lost every mortal thing I owned.) 6 poetic belonging to a human  (a sight as yet unseen by mortal eyes)  (- see also mortally) ~2 n 1 lesser/ordinary/mere mortals humorous ordinary people, as compared with people who are more important or more powerful  (Of course, she dines in the executive suite, while we lesser mortals use the staff cafeteria.) 2 especially literary a word meaning a human, used especially when comparing humans with gods, spirits etc