demise en · NOUN
Pronunciation
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.
Meanings
- (countable, uncountable) The conveyance or transfer of an estate, either in fee for life or for years, most commonly the latter.
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(countable, uncountable) 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.
Immediately upon the Royal Assent being signified to this Act the Instrument of Abdication […] shall have effect, and thereupon His Majesty shall cease to be King and there shall be a demise of the Crown, and accordingly the member of the Royal Family then next in succession to the Throne shall succeed thereto and to all the rights, privileges, and dignities thereunto belonging.
1936, Parliament of the United Kingdom, “Section 1”, in His Majesty's Declaration of Abdication Act 1936, page 1:
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(countable) Death; decease.
Earth looked her loveliest to receive my sweet sister's gentle dust; but all was harsh and sullen as her own nature when Lady Avonleigh's haughty ashes returned to their original element. Immediately after her demise, her son went abroad, and I accompanied him.
1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XII, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume II, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 124:
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(countable) The end of something, in a negative sense; downfall.
The lack of funding ultimately led to the project's demise.
More than a quarter of a century after the fraught events that followed the privatisation of the railway, Corbett has provided a warts and all analysis of what led to the spate of rail disasters in the aftermath of the break-up of British Rail, and (ultimately) to the demise of the company.
2026 March 4, Christian Wolmar, “Railtrack: what really happened”, in RAIL, number 1056, page 50:“Who is going to move against him [V. Putin]? Everyone is simply waiting for his demise,” [Oleg] Tinkov added.
2026 May 24, Pjotr Sauer, Shaun Walker, “‘There is profound disappointment in him’: mood in Russia turns against Putin”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
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(countable, uncountable) The atmospheric disintegration of a satellite or satellite component upon re-entering Earth's atmosphere.
Relocating components to places where they receive more heating effect earlier in the reentry and even triggering a partial break-up of the satellite structure during reentry to aid demise.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| demises | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
nondemise · early fetal demise
Relateds
Synonyms
death · downfall · repose · sunset · the big sleep · exit · tomb · quietus · doom · fall · decomposition · defunction · liquidation · crash · (the) end · mortality · demise · dirt nap · quietus · end · fatality · expiration · celestial transfer · fatality · (the) bane · decease · passing · dematerialization · sleep of the just
Translations (95)
ru переда́ча по насле́дству (transmission by formal act or conveyance to an heir or successor) · eo morto (death — see also death, decease) · fr chute (end, downfall, or failure) · fi kuolema (death — see also death, decease) · fi poismeno (death — see also death, decease) · de Niedergang (end, downfall, or failure) · kk ажал (death — see also death, decease) · mi whakahinganga (end, downfall, or failure) · cmn 逝世 (death — see also death, decease) · fr transfert (the conveyance or transfer of an estate, either in fee for life or for years) · he מוות (death — see also death, decease) · nl overdracht (transmission by formal act or conveyance to an heir or successor) · nl falen (end, downfall, or failure) · pt morte (death — see also death, decease) · mk префрлу́вање (the conveyance or transfer of an estate, either in fee for life or for years) · nl dood (death — see also death, decease) · oc mòrt (death — see also death, decease) · pt cessão (transmission by formal act or conveyance to an heir or successor) · hy մահ (death — see also death, decease) · fr transmission (transmission by formal act or conveyance to an heir or successor) · oc transferiment (transmission by formal act or conveyance to an heir or successor) · de Übergang (transmission by formal act or conveyance to an heir or successor) · gd bàs (death — see also death, decease) · pl śmierć (death — see also death, decease) · ca desaparició (end, downfall, or failure) · oc décès (death — see also death, decease) · eo forpaso (death — see also death, decease) · ca caiguda (end, downfall, or failure) · gd caochladh (death — see also death, decease) · io fino (end, downfall, or failure) · ca fallida (end, downfall, or failure) · pt falecimento (death — see also death, decease) · bg предаване по наследство (transmission by formal act or conveyance to an heir or successor) · fr mort (death — see also death, decease) · oc casuda (end, downfall, or failure) · oc transfèrt (transmission by formal act or conveyance to an heir or successor) · izh koolema (death — see also death, decease) · de Tod (death — see also death, decease) · nl neergang (end, downfall, or failure) · de Besitzübertragung (transmission by formal act or conveyance to an heir or successor) · af dood (death — see also death, decease) · oc transmission (transmission by formal act or conveyance to an heir or successor) · bg прехвърляне (the conveyance or transfer of an estate, either in fee for life or for years) · mk крај (end, downfall, or failure) · fr échec (end, downfall, or failure) · de Übertragung (transmission by formal act or conveyance to an heir or successor) · no bortgang (death — see also death, decease) · oc revirada (end, downfall, or failure) · mi tāwhatitanga (death — see also death, decease) · pt ruína (end, downfall, or failure) · ru кончи́на (death — see also death, decease) · pt óbito (death — see also death, decease) · hu bukás (end, downfall, or failure) · fr transfert (transmission by formal act or conveyance to an heir or successor) · fr fin (end, downfall, or failure) · mk про́паст (end, downfall, or failure) · pt colapso (end, downfall, or failure) · hy վախճան (death — see also death, decease) · io falo (end, downfall, or failure) · ca defunció (death — see also death, decease) · oc transferiment (the conveyance or transfer of an estate, either in fee for life or for years) · pl zgon (death — see also death, decease) · de Untergang (end, downfall, or failure) · oc fin (end, downfall, or failure) · oc transfèrt (the conveyance or transfer of an estate, either in fee for life or for years) · io nesuceso (end, downfall, or failure) · mk преда́вање по на́следство (transmission by formal act or conveyance to an heir or successor) · oc malafin (end, downfall, or failure) · de Verpachtung (the conveyance or transfer of an estate, either in fee for life or for years) · bg смърт (death — see also death, decease) · cs konec (end, downfall, or failure) · cs úmrtí (death — see also death, decease) · izh surma (death — see also death, decease) · mk смрт (death — see also death, decease) · it falio (end, downfall, or failure) · ca traspàs (the conveyance or transfer of an estate, either in fee for life or for years) · ru ги́бель (death — see also death, decease) · gd eug (death — see also death, decease) · fa فوت (death — see also death, decease) · mk пре́нос (the conveyance or transfer of an estate, either in fee for life or for years) · ca traspàs (transmission by formal act or conveyance to an heir or successor) · es quiebra (end, downfall, or failure) · pt fracasso (end, downfall, or failure) · de Verschwinden (end, downfall, or failure) · nl overdracht (the conveyance or transfer of an estate, either in fee for life or for years) · oc fracàs (end, downfall, or failure) · de Scheitern (end, downfall, or failure) · fr disparition (end, downfall, or failure) · pt fim (end, downfall, or failure) · it decesso (death — see also death, decease) · cs zánik (end, downfall, or failure) · ru смерть (death — see also death, decease) · it morte (death — see also death, decease) · pt transferência (transmission by formal act or conveyance to an heir or successor) · de Übergabe (transmission by formal act or conveyance to an heir or successor)