his life was cut short
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
He died prematurely. The allusion is to Atropos, one of the three Parcas, cutting the thread of life spun by her sister Clotho.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “his life was cut short” mean?
He died prematurely. The allusion is to Atropos, one of the three Parcas, cutting the thread of life spun by her sister Clotho.
Is “his life was cut short” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.