Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- v. To die.
- n. The act of dying; death.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. Departure from life; death.
- n. Synonyms Death, Decease, Demise. Death is the common term for the ending of life. Decease is slightly euphemistic; it is less forcible and harsh than death. Demise applies primarily to a sovereign, who at death sends down or transmits his title, etc. (see quotation from Blackstone, under demise), and hence to others with reference to the transmission of their possessions. The use of demise for death apart from this idea is figurative, euphemistic, or stilted.
- To depart from life; die.
- Synonyms Expire, etc. See die.
Wiktionary
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. Departure, especially departure from this life; death.
- v. To depart from this life; to die; to pass away.
WordNet 3.0
- v. pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
- n. the event of dying or departure from life
Etymologies
- From Middle French décès. (Wiktionary)
- Middle English decesen, from deces, death, from Old French, from Latin dēcessus, departure, death, from past participle of dēcēdere, to depart, die : dē-, de- + cēdere, to go; see ked- in Indo-European roots. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“When he returned home, he laid the five leaves in a box and locking it, gave the key to his wife (who then showed big with child), and said to her, Know that my decease is at hand and that the time draweth nigh for my translation from this abode temporal to the home which is eternal.”
““O my son, the fated hour of my decease is at hand, and I desire to give thee my last injunctions.””
“Every soul shall taste of death; 258 and now, O my son, my decease is at hand and I desire to charge thee with a charge, which if thou observe, thou shalt abide in safety and prosperity, till thou meet”
“262 Many have remarked that the actual date of the decease is unknown.”
“straw death," as they called decease from old age or sickness.”
“Prince was seventeen years old, the King sickened of a sore sickness and came nigh to die, so, being certified that his decease was at hand, he said to the people of his household, “This is disease of Death which is upon me; wherefore do ye summon my son and kith and kin and gather together the Grandees and Notables of my empire, so not one of them may remain except he be present.””
“The information for the Crown hints that her decease might be the consequence of the usage she received.”
“Enjoy: "Although King Fahd was sick and hospitalized, the announcement of his decease was a shock to every Arab citizen, who knew and loved him like we did, and to every Saudi citizen who enjoyed the security, peace, and prosperity under his rule.”
“The French and Italian translation do render this word decease too loosely.”
“His decease was a severe affliction to his family, a grief to his friends, and a subject of regret even to foreigners, and those who had no personal knowledge of him.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘decease’.
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 11184 more...
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2nd part
prelude, ample, escalate, prototype, accession, acquisition, archives, zealot, indict, verdict, intimidating, timid and 454 more...
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life, death, rebirth
vale of tears, aborning, transmigration, reincarnate, nativity, nascence, metempsychosis, palingenesis, againrising, psychopannychism, thnetopsychism, shuffle off this ... and 104 more...
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No Dearth of Deadly Designations
catafalque, cenotaph, necropolis, sepulcher, sarcophagus, mausoleum, reliquary, ossuary, necrosis, cadaver, cadaverous, pyre and 103 more...
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Misc. Words.
Words I like to use, words I like but may forget.
corrosion, astonish, solace, ferment, continuum, kinesthetic, permeate, repose, caprice, cardinal, discourse, surrender and 610 more...
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Exit Strategy
Euphemisms for the curiously common human pastime of dying.
pass on, depart, decease, buy it, join the choir in..., shuffle off this ..., expire, snuff it, croak, dance, meet your maker, pop off and 66 more...
Tweets
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