demise

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun

The conveyance or transfer of an estate, either in fee for life or for years, most commonly the latter.
Transmission by formal act or conveyance to an heir or successor; transference; especially, the transfer or transmission of the crown or royal authority to a successor.
Death; decease.
The end of something, in a negative sense; downfall.
The atmospheric disintegration of a satellite or satellite component upon re-entering Earth's atmosphere.

verb

To give.
To convey, as by will or lease.
To transmit by inheritance.
To pass by inheritance.
To die.

Pronunciation

/dɪˈmaɪz/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-demise.wav LL-Q1860 (eng)-Simplificationalizer-demise.wav LL-Q1860 (eng)-Wodencafe-demise.wav

Word forms

demise demises demising demised

Etymology

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.

Synonyms

fatality quietus death tomb celestial transfer decease decomposition defunction dematerialization demise dirt nap doom exit expiration liquidation mortality passing repose sleep of the just sunset the big sleep crash downfall fall (the) bane (the) end

Related words

demission demit

Derived words

early fetal demise nondemise demisability demisable redemise undemised

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