From Latin 'moribundus' (dying), from 'mori' (to die) — now commonly describes institutions in terminal decline.
At the point of death; in terminal decline; lacking vitality or vigour.
From Latin 'moribundus' (dying, at the point of death, in the process of dying), from 'morī' (to die) with the suffix '-bundus,' which in Latin indicates an ongoing state or strong tendency (compare 'errabundus,' wandering; 'furibundus,' raging; 'tremebundus,' trembling). The verb 'morī' descends from Proto-Indo-European *mer- (to die, to cease), one of the most widely attested PIE roots, producing Sanskrit 'maraṇa' (death), Greek 'brotos' (mortal, via *mrotos from *mr-), and Armenian 'meṙanim' (I die). The same PIE root *mer- gives English 'murder' (via Proto-Germanic *murþrą) and 'mortal' (via Latin 'mortālis'). English borrowed 'moribund' as a learned Latinate adjective in the early 18th century, retaining its Latin form
The Latin suffix '-bundus' that gives 'moribund' its distinctive ending is relatively rare in English but appears in a few other borrowed words: 'furibund' (furious, raging), 'pudibund' (prudish, easily shamed), and 'vagabond' (from Latin 'vagābundus,' wandering). The suffix indicates someone in the grip of a state — 'moribundus' is not merely dying but caught in the process of dying.