mortality rate

[ mawr-tal-i-tee reyt ]

noun

1. the relative frequency of deaths in a specific population during a specified time, often cited as the percentage of human deaths during a public health crisis, or of wildlife deaths due to environmental perils:

   Patients over the age of 80 had the highest mortality rate during the last flu season.

   The mortality rate of the bald eagle falls to about 25 percent after the first year of life.

mortality rate

noun

1. another term for death rate

Word History and Origins

Origin of mortality rate¹

First recorded in 1860–65