Word Confusion: Dyeing versus Dying

Posted December 1, 2014 by Kathy Davie in Author Resources, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

Revised as of
2 July 2023

There is a wealth of difference between this pair of heterographs (a subset of homophone) dyeing and dying.

My personal preference is dyeing. It’s definitely something I can come back from. I may be spattered and multi-colored, but I’ll be alive to dye another day.

Unlike dyeing. If I’m dying today, I won’t be coming back tomorrow.

Consider the following:
I’m just dyeing to see you.

Wait, you have to dye some fabric before you can see me? Or, you have to change colors to see me?

I’m just dying to see you.

I can’t wait. I can barely stand it.

He’s dyeing.

Ooh, pretty! What colors?

He’s dying.

That’s so sad.

You may want to dive further by exploring “Die versus Dye“.

Word Confusions . . .

. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.

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Dyeing Dying

Dye, Natural Blue is under the CC BY-SA 2.0 license courtesy of Salvor and Wikimedia Commons.

Woman using natural materials for dyeing.


Bismarck on his deathbed

Bismarck on His Deathbed by Willy Wilcke und Max Christian Priester [Spiegel 28/1998 (PDF) is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Bismarck is dying in his bed.

Part of Grammar:
Root word: dye


Noun 1;
Verb 2, intransitive & transitive

Plural for the noun: dyes
Gerund: dyeing

Third person present verb: dyes
Past tense or past participle: dyed
Present participle: dyeing

Root word: die


Adjective 1; Noun 1;
Verb, intransitive 2

Plural for the noun:

  • dies (device used for cutting, stamping, forming)
  • dice (small cubes used for gambling)

Gerund: dying

Third person present verb: dies
Past tense or past participle: died
Present participle: dying

Noun:
Process of coloring fibers, yarns, or fabrics 1

Verb, intransitive:
To impart color, as a dye 2

To become colored or absorb color when treated with a dye

Verb, transitive:
To color or stain 2

  • Treat with a dye
  • Color cloth, hair, etc., with a substance containing coloring matter

To impart color by means of a dye

Adjective:
Ceasing to live 1

  • Approaching death
  • Expiring

Of, pertaining to, or associated with death

Given, uttered, or manifested just before death

Drawing to a close

  • Ending

Noun:
The act or process of ceasing to live, ending, or drawing to a close 1

Verb, intransitive:
To cease to live 2

  • Undergo the complete and permanent cessation of all vital functions
  • Become dead

[Of something inanimate] To cease to exist

To lose force, strength, or active qualities

To cease to function

  • Stop

To be no longer subject

  • Become indifferent

To pass gradually

  • Fade or subside gradually (usually followed by away, out, or down)

[Theology] To lose spiritual life

Examples:
Noun:
Did you get the dyeing done?

There’s still dyeing to be done.

“The dyeing then proceeds; and whatever is dyed in this manner becomes a fast colour, and no washing either with lyes or without them can take away the bloom” (Plato).

Verb, intransitive:
This brand is dyeing well.

This cloth is dyeing easily.

I love dyeing with a mud bucket.

Verb, transitive:
The coloring matter is dyeing greener than I expected.

“She is known for dyeing her hair in different hues and this week there has been a purple tint” (Muir).

“We would like to hear from those who have stopped dyeing their hair and how they feel about it” (Tell).

Adjective:
He’s a dying man.

It was in his dying hour that he gave me all his worldly goods.

But they were her dying words!

It’s like this is the dying year with two of my neighbors passing on.

Noun:
Dying is inevitable.

“The battlefield was littered with the dead and dying” (Dying).

“When it comes to death, counselling the dying, or helping the bereaved, we Christians have become secularised” (DyingLong).

Verb, intransitive:
The laughter died on his lips.

C’mon, laugh already. I’m dying out here.

The motor is dying.

I am dying to worldly matters

The storm slowly is dying down.

Derivatives:
Adjective: half-dying
Phrasal Verb
die back
die down
die off
die out
History of the Word:
  1. The first known use was before 1000.
    Old English and Middle English dēagunge.
  2. The first known use was before 1000.
    Middle English dien, Old English dēagian, derivative of dēag.
  1. The first known use was between 1250–1300, Middle English.
  2. The first known use was between 1150–1200.
    Middle English dien, deien from the Old Norse deyja.

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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!

Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.

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Resources for Dyeing versus Dying

Apple Dictionary.com

Dictionary.com: dyeing and dying

“Dying.” Longman. n.d. Web. 9 Sept 2022. <https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/dying>.

“Dying Can Be a Verb, a Noun or an Adjective.” WordType.org. n.d. Web. 9 Sept 2022. <https://wordtype.org/of/dying>.

Muir, Hugh. “Belinda Bencic thwarts Bethanie Mattek-Sands’ charging momentum.” The Guardian. 3 Jul 2015. Web. 9 Sept 2022. <https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/jul/03/bethanie-mattek-sands-belinda-bencic>.

Plato. “Socrates.” The Republic. chapt 21. The Free Dictionary. n.d. Web. 9 Sept 2022. <https://plato.thefreelibrary.com/Republic/2-21#dyeing>.

“Tell Us: Have you stopped dyeing your hair?” The Guardian. 22 Mar 2021 Web. 9 Sept 2022. <https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2021/mar/22/tell-us-have-you-stopped-dyeing-your-hair>.

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Pinterest Photo Credits:

Dying Flower 2 by Peter Heilmann is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via VisualHunt. It’s Not An Old Wives Tale After All! by Miia Ranta from Finland, which is under the CC BY-SA 2.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons.

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