decease

[dih-sees]

noun

1. the act of dying; departure from life; death.

verb (used without object)

deceased, deceasing 

1. to depart from life; die.

decease

/ dɪˈsiːs /

noun

1. a more formal word for death

verb

1. (intr) a more formal word for die 1

Word History and Origins

Origin of decease¹

1300–50; (noun) Middle English deces < Old French < Latin dēcessus departure, death, equivalent to dēced-, variant stem of dēcēdere to go away ( dē- de- + cēdere to go; cede ) + -tus suffix of v. action, with dt > s; (v.) late Middle English decesen, derivative of the noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of decease¹

C14 (n): from Old French deces, from Latin dēcēdere to depart

Example Sentences

“By law, family members usually don’t have to pay the debts of a deceased relative from their own money,” the FTC says.

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“One of the deceased victims would appear to have suffered a wound consistent with a gunshot injury,” Greater Manchester Police said Friday.

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Two weeks have passed since the representative-elect handily won Arizona’s special election, filling a seat vacated by her deceased father.

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In 1877, Congress even passed a law prohibiting it, which says that “only the portrait of deceased individuals may occur on the United States currency and securities.”

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In November, a fifth beluga died in a year, taking the total number of deceased whales since 2019 to 20, according to news agency the Canadian Press.

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