The word "殒命" is formed by combining the character "殒", which means to perish and is constructed with the radical "歹" indicating death and the phonetic component "員", with the character "命", which means life and is constructed with the radical "口" and the component "令". Together, they create a compound where "殒" modifies "命" in a verb-object relationship, literally meaning "to perish life" or "to meet death".