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DictionarydeceaseDeath
noun / verb

decease

dih-SEESS/dɪˈsiːs/

The end of a person's life.

A flower beside the closed coffin marks the solemn occasion of a person's decease.

A respectful closed coffin with a single flower beside it, quiet formal death symbolism, no visible body or text.
Etymology
deLatinaway
+ceaseLatinto go

“Away” and “to go” frame death as a departure. Latin already used the resulting noun euphemistically for death, a softened sense that remains in formal English.

In context

The 1928 Club99:14
More words followed these, providing if my lady was dead, or if Miss Rachel was dead, at the time of the testator’s decease
The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins | Part 1: The Loss of the Diamond | Full Audiobook

More examples

  • The certificate records the date and place of her decease.
  • After his father's decease, he inherits the family home.
  • Her deceased husband left the house to their children.

Forms

decease · deceases · deceased · deceasing

Similar words

death
The ordinary noun, without the formal or legal tone.
demise
A formal alternative that can also describe an institution's collapse.
die
The usual verb for a life ending in everyday speech.