More dead or completely lifeless; used to emphasize that something has no chance of working or happening.
From Old English 'dead' plus the comparative suffix '-er', which creates a more intense version. The word evolved from Proto-Germanic 'daudaz' meaning 'dead,' and the comparative form has been used since Middle English to emphasize complete deadness or failure.
Linguists debate whether 'deader' is truly grammatical since 'dead' is technically an absolute state—something can't be 'more dead'—yet English speakers have used it for centuries to mean 'completely dead' or 'utterly finished,' showing how we push language boundaries when we want extra emphasis.
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