立たち消ぎえ

た

ち

ぎ

え

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

noun

going out before burning completely; dying out (of fire)

Refers to a fire, flame, or cigarette going out on its own before it has finished burning. Often used in the phrase 立ち消えになる.

キャンプファイヤーが雨あめで立たち消ぎえになった。
The campfire went out in the rain before it could burn down.
ろうそくの火ひが風かぜで立たち消ぎえした。

The candle flame was extinguished by the wind before it could burn out.

2

noun

fizzling out; falling through; dying away

Used figuratively for plans, projects, rumors, or trends that lose momentum and disappear without a clear conclusion. Often appears as 立ち消えになる.

その計けい画かくは予よ算さん不ぶ足そくで立たち消ぎえになった。
The plan fizzled out due to a lack of budget.
うわさはすぐに立たち消ぎえになった。
The rumor quickly died away.

Written forms

立たち消ぎえUsage98%
Standard kanji spelling; the most common written form.
立たち消ぎえUsage2%
Less common variant; the okurigana is shortened.

Kanji

立stand up, rise, set up
消extinguish, blow out, turn off

Similar words

消きえる
消える is a general verb for 'to disappear' or 'to go out' (for fire). 立ち消え is a noun that specifically describes something dying out before reaching its natural end, often with a nuance of incompleteness.
中ちゅう止し
中止 means a deliberate cancellation or suspension. 立ち消え implies a natural fading away without a formal decision.

Etymology

Compound of 立ち (the continuative form of 立つ 'to stand, rise') + 消え (the continuative form of 消える 'to disappear, go out'). Literally 'standing and disappearing', it originally described a flame that goes out while still standing (i.e., before burning down), and later extended to figurative uses.