Added 8 October 2026
demise
/dɪˈmaɪz/ noun
Latin root: dēmissa Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about demise at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- 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.
verb
- To give.
- To convey, as by will or lease.
- To transmit by inheritance.
Origin
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.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)