decease (n.)

"death," early 14c., from Old French deces (12c., Modern French décès) "decease, death," from Latin decessus "death" (euphemism for mors), also "a retirement, a departure," from decess-, past participle stem of decedere "die, depart, withdraw," literally "to go down," from de "away" (see de-) + cedere "to go" (from PIE root *ked- "to go, yield"). Still used with a tinge of euphemism.

also from early 14c.

decease (v.)

"to die, depart from life," early 15c., decesen, from decease (n.). Related: Deceased; deceasing.

also from early 15c.

Entries linking to decease

deceased (adj.)

mid-15c., "dead, departed from life," past-participle adjective from decease (v.). As a verbal noun meaning "dead person, those who are dead," from early 17c.

decedent (n.)

1730, "dead person," now mostly as a term in U.S. law, from Latin decedentem, present participle of decedere "to die, to depart" (see decease (n.)).

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Trends of decease

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/. Ngrams are probably unreliable.

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predecessor

late 14c., predecessour, "one who has held an office or position before the present holder," from Old French predecesseor "forebear" and directly from Late Latin praedecessorem (nominative praedecessor) "one who has gone before," from Latin prae "before" (see pre-) + decessor "re

perish

late 13c., perishen, "to die, be killed, pass away; suffer spiritual death, be damned," from periss- present participle stem of Old French perir "perish, be lost, be shipwrecked" (12c.), from Latin perire "to be lost, perish," literally "to go through," from per "through, complet

Old English gan "to advance, walk; depart, go away; happen, take place; conquer; observe, practice, exercise," from West Germanic *gaian (source also of Old Saxon, Old Frisian gan, Middle Dutch gaen, Dutch gaan, Old High German gan, German gehen), from PIE root *ghē- "to release,

change

c. 1200, "to alter, make different, change" (transitive); early 13c. as "to substitute one for another;" mid-13c. as "to make (something) other than what it was, cause to turn or pass from one state to another;" from late 13c. as "to become different, be altered" (intransitive),

fatality

late 15c., "quality of causing death," from French fatalité, from Late Latin fatalitatem (nominative fatalitas) "fatal necessity, fatality," from Latin fatalis "ordained by fate; destructive, deadly" (see fatal). Senses in 16c.-17c. included "determined by fate" and "a destiny."

drown

early 14c., drounen, "suffocate by immersion in water or other fluid," also intransitive, "be suffocated by immersion (etc.)," also figurative, "to overwhelm or overpower by rising above as a flood," perhaps from an unrecorded variant of Old English druncnian (Middle English drun

famish

"cause to hunger," c. 1400, famyschen, "alteration of famen (late 14c.), a shortening of Old French afamer (12c., Modern French affamer), from Vulgar Latin *affamare "to bring to hunger," from ad famem, from Latin fames "hunger" (see famine). Ending changed mid-14c. to -ish under

alteration

late 14c., alteracioun, "change, transformation, action of altering," from Old French alteracion "change, alteration" (14c.), and directly from Medieval Latin alterationem (nominative alteratio), noun of action from past-participle stem of Late Latin alterare "to change," from La

birth

c. 1200, "fact of being born;" mid-13c., "act of giving birth, a bringing forth by the mother, childbirth," sometimes in Middle English also "conception;" also "that which is born, offspring, child;" from a Scandinavian source such as Old Norse *byrðr (replacing cognate Old Engli

nock

"a notch," specifically, in archery, "the notch on the horn of a bow," where the string is fastened, also "notch on the end of an arrow," which rests on the string, late 14c., nokke, a word of uncertain origin, probably from a Scandinavian source (such as Swedish nock "notch"), o

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updated on October 13, 2021

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Dictionary entries near decease

decapitate

decapitation

decapod

decathlon

decay

decease

deceased

decedent

deceit

deceitful

deceive