demise

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. Death.
2. n. The end of existence or activity; termination: the demise of the streetcar.
3. n. Law Transfer of an estate by lease or will.
4. n. The transfer of a ruler's authority by death or abdication.
5. v. Law To transfer (an estate) by will or lease.
6. v. To transfer (sovereignty) by abdication or will.
7. v. Law To be transferred by will or descent: The land demised to a charitable institution.
8. v. To die.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. Transfer; transmission; devolution, as of a right or an estate in consequence of death, forfeiture of title, etc.
2. n. In law, a conveyance or transfer of an estate by will or lease in fee, for life or for a term of years; in modern use, a lease for years.
3. n. Hence Death, especially of a sovereign or other person transmitting important possessions or great fame: often used as a mere euphemism for death, without other implication.
4. To bequeath; grant by will.
5. In law, to transfer or convey, as an estate, for life or for years; lease.
6. To pass by bequest or inheritance; descend, as property.

Wiktionary

1. n. law The conveyance or transfer of an estate, either in fee for life or for years, most commonly the latter.
2. n. Transmission by formal act or conveyance to an heir or successor; transference; especially, the transfer or transmission of the crown or royal authority to a successor.
3. n. Death.
4. n. end (less common, usually in a negative manner)
5. v. transitive, obsolete, law To give.
6. v. transitive, law To convey, as by will or lease.
7. v. transitive, law To transmit by inheritance.
8. v. intransitive, law To pass by inheritance.
9. v. intransitive To die.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. Transmission by formal act or conveyance to an heir or successor; transference; especially, the transfer or transmission of the crown or royal authority to a successor.
2. n. The decease of a royal or princely person; hence, also, the death of any illustrious person.
3. n. (Law) The conveyance or transfer of an estate, either in fee for life or for years, most commonly the latter.
4. v. To transfer or transmit by succession or inheritance; to grant or bestow by will; to bequeath.
5. v. rare To convey; to give.
6. v. (Law) To convey, as an estate, by lease; to lease.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. the time when something ends
2. v. transfer by a lease or by a will