demise

[dih-mahyz]

See more synonyms for demise on Thesaurus.com

noun

death or decease.
termination of existence or operation: the demise of the empire.
Law.
1. a death or decease occasioning the transfer of an estate.
2. a conveyance or transfer of an estate.

Government. transfer of sovereignty, as by the death or deposition of the sovereign.

verb (used with object), de·mised, de·mis·ing.

Law. to transfer (an estate or the like) for a limited time; lease.
Government. to transfer (sovereignty), as by the death or abdication of the sovereign.

verb (used without object), de·mised, de·mis·ing.

Law. to pass by bequest, inheritance, or succession.

Origin of demise

1400–50; late Middle English dimis(s)e, demise < Old French demis (past participle of desmetre) < Latin dīmissum (past participle of dīmittere); see demit¹, dismiss

Related formsde·mis·a·bil·i·ty, nounde·mis·a·ble, adjectivenon·de·mise, nounun·de·mised, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for demise

collapse, downfall, dissolution, departure, failure, termination, passing, extinction, curtains, end, dying, decease, ruin, ending, annihilation, quietus, sleep, expiration, fall, silence

Examples from the Web for demise

Contemporary Examples of demise

Such statements are rare, as the Guards routinely avoid going public with news about the demise of one of their commanders.
What an Iranian Funeral Tells Us About the Wars in Iraq
IranWire
January 6, 2015
Were they innocent victims or did they conduct themselves in a manner that would naturally lead to their demise?
The Post-Brown and Garner Question: Who ‘Deserves’ to Die?
Goldie Taylor
December 9, 2014
It was sad that my first visit to Court Green, which Sylvia had described so enthusiastically, should be after her demise.
Ted Hughes’s Brother on Losing Sylvia Plath
Gerald Hughes
December 2, 2014
In the film, Turner begins to think about how his work will be seen after his demise.
Mike Leigh Is the Master Filmmaker Who Hates Hollywood
Nico Hines
October 14, 2014
The country that once sought to slaughter Paul was devastated by his demise.
The Amazing Tale of Paul the Psychic Octopus: Germany’s World Cup Soothsayer
Emily Shire
July 12, 2014

Historical Examples of demise

Death, which in any case awaits our friends, we woo to them by anticipations of demise.
The Conquest of Fear
Basil King
Even Toby put in his claim to a partnership in bringing about its demise.
With Trapper Jim in the North Woods
Lawrence J. Leslie
He remembered his mother, but not her demise; that had been concealed from him.
The Pirate and The Three Cutters
Frederick Marryat
Captain Hall was fifty-nine years of age at the time of his demise.
Mary-'Gusta
Joseph C. Lincoln
We had not heard before of the demise of our dear Brother and Sister Knowles.
Gathering Jewels
James Knowles and Matilda Darroch Knowles

British Dictionary definitions for demise

demise

noun

failure or terminationthe demise of one's hopes
a euphemistic or formal word for death
property law
1. a transfer of an estate by lease
2. the passing or transfer of an estate on the death of the owner
the immediate transfer of sovereignty to a successor upon the death, abdication, etc, of a ruler (esp in the phrase demise of the crown)

verb

to transfer or be transferred by inheritance, will, or succession
(tr) property law to transfer (an estate, etc) for a limited period; lease
(tr) to transfer (sovereignty, a title, etc) by or as if by the death, deposition, etc, of a ruler

Derived Formsdemisable, adjective

Word Origin for demise

C16: from Old French, feminine of demis dismissed, from demettre to send away, from Latin dīmittere; see dismiss

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for demise

mid-15c., from Middle French demise, fem. past participle of démettre "dismiss, put away," from des- "away" (from Latin dis-) + Middle French mettre "put," from Latin mittere "let go, send" (see mission). Originally "transfer of estate by will," meaning extended 1754 to "death" because that's when this happens.