Decease
/dɪˈsiːs/noun
To die; especially used in formal or legal contexts.
Did you know?It comes from Latin *decessus*, from *decedere*—a word that could mean simply “to withdraw” or “depart,” proving how often English turns death into a polite disappearance.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ked-
“to go, yield, withdraw”
Latin
Latin
cedere
“to go, yield, give way”
Late Latin
Latin
decessus
“a departure, withdrawal; in later use, death”
Old French
Old French
deces
“death, decease”
Middle English
English
decease
“death; to die”
Modern English
English
decease
“to die; death in formal usage”