demise
- 01 C1 Advanced
n.a formal word for a person's death.
n.the death of a person, typically used in formal or literary contexts to convey gravity.
Simple“The entire nation mourned the sudden demise of the beloved leader.”
In context“Upon the sovereign's demise, the crown was immediately transferred to the heir apparent according to constitutional protocol.”
- 02 C2 Proficiency
n.the legal transfer of land or a building to someone else for a period of time.
n.the conveyance or transfer of an estate by lease or will for a specified term.
Simple“The lawyer explained the demise of the estate to the family members.”
In context“The deed of demise ensured that the property would remain under the control of the charitable trust for the next ninety-nine years.”
Synonyms - 03 C2 Proficiency
n.the way a satellite breaks apart when it falls back into the Earth's atmosphere.
n.the atmospheric disintegration of a spacecraft or satellite component during re-entry.
Simple“Scientists tracked the satellite's demise as it burned up over the Pacific Ocean.”
In context“Engineers designed the structural components to ensure a predictable demise during re-entry, minimizing the risk of large debris reaching the surface.”
Synonyms - 04 C2 Proficiency
v.to give or leave property to someone in a legal document like a will.
v.to convey or grant an estate by will or lease. Transitive — requires a direct object.
Simple“The property was demised to the local council for use as a public park.”
In context“The testator sought to demise the ancestral lands to a distant relative, bypassing the immediate family through a complex legal instrument.”
“Along with the demise of the flat oyster, the three-dimensional structures that provide habitat for more than 100 marine species have disappeared.”
“This vision is no longer tenable, and no one is more responsible for its demise than Israel itself.”
From Middle English demyse, dimise, dimisse, dymyse, from Middle French démise, the feminine singular past participle of démettre (“to put down, relinquish”); from Latin dēmissa, feminine singular of perfect passive participle of dēmittō. The "death" and "end" senses derive by way of euphemism from the legal sense, as a person's death was a common way that the legal demise could be accomplished. The verb is from Middle English dimisen, from the noun.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.