Demise
/dɪˈmaɪz/noun
Death or the end of something, especially a person’s death or the collapse of a system.
Did you know?In legal English, a “demise” could mean a transfer or grant of property, because the word came through a chain of French and Latin meanings tied to “sending away,” not to death at all.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
dimittere
“to send away, let go, release”
Late Latin
Latin
dimissio
“a sending away, dismissal, release”
Old French
Old French
demise
“a transfer, conveyance, resignation”
Middle English
English
demisen
“to transfer, grant, or resign property or office”
14th–15th Century
English
demise
“a transfer of property or office; later, a person’s death by euphemistic extension”
Modern English
English
demise
“death or the end of something”