noun
water given to a dying person
Refers to the ritual of moistening the lips of a dying person with water, often performed by close family. The phrase 死に水を取る means to perform this final act of care.
最期に、母は父の唇に死に水を含ませた。
At the very end, my mother gave my father the last water on his lips.
彼は遠くにいて、親の死に水を取れなかった。
He was far away and couldn't be there to give his parent the last water.
Compound of 死に (stem of 死ぬ, 'to die') + 水 ('water'). The exact historical origin of the ritual is uncertain, but the term is well-established in Japanese funeral customs.