Decedent
/dɪˈsiː.dənt/noun
A person who has died, especially in legal contexts.
Did you know?It comes from the same Latin root as words about ‘going down’ or ‘sinking,’ which is why legal language often treats death as a kind of departure from the living realm.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*deḱ-
“to take, receive; also the source of ‘ten’ in counting systems”
Latin
Latin
dēcēdere
“to go away, depart, withdraw; literally ‘to step down/off’”
Latin
Latin
dēcēns
“departing, going away”
Late Latin
Latin
dēcēdent-
“departing, dying; the present participle used for someone who is deceased”
Middle English
English
decedent
“one who is dead; a deceased person, especially in law”