deceased

English

Etymology

From decease +‎ -ed, from Middle English deceas via Old French [Term?], from Latin dēcessus (“departure”), equivalent to dēced-, variation of dēcēdō, dēcēdere (“to go away”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /dɪˈsiːst/
• (US) enPR: dē-sēst', dĭ-sēst' IPA^(key): /diˈsist/, /dɪˈsist/
• (Canada) IPA^(key): /diˈsist/, /dɪˈsist/, /diˈsizd/, /dɪˈsizd/
• (Nigeria) IPA^(key): /dɪˈzizd/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Homophone: diseased (Nigeria)
• Rhymes: -iːst

Adjective

deceased (not comparable)

1. No longer alive; dead.

   Synonyms: (euphemistic) asleep, (euphemistic) at peace, (euphemistic) at rest, dead, (euphemistic) departed, late, (euphemistic) gone; see also Thesaurus:dead

   • 1969, Monty Python, Dead Parrot Sketch

     That parrot is definitely deceased, and when I purchased it not 'alf an hour ago, you assured me that its total lack of movement was due to it bein' tired and shagged out following a prolonged squawk.

   • 1990, Wayne Jancik, The Billboard Book of One-Hit Wonders, →ISBN, page 272:

     Publicity handouts from Dick's long-deceased record label would have us believe that he was born in Cleveland in 1952.

2. Belonging to the dead.

   The executor's commission for winding up the deceased estate was 3.5%.

3. (law) One who has died. In property law, the alternate term decedent is generally used. In criminal law, "the deceased" refers to the victim of a homicide.
4. (hyperbolic) Overwhelmed to the point of being figuratively dead.

   You look so good, I'm deceased!

   • 2021, Penelope Scott (lyrics and music), “7 O'Clock” (track 1), in Hazards, performed by Penelope Scott:

     I am deceased, my nuts have been busted.

   • 2022 June 2, Nick Caruso, “Hacks Season 2 Finale Recap: [Spoiler] Gets Fired, as Deborah's Special Finally Gets Off the Ground — Grade It!”, in TVLine‎^[1], archived from the original on June 8, 2022:

     "So that's it? We're not going to talk anymore? I won't see you?" she asks through tears. "Oh, you'll see me," Deborah replies. "In court!" (OUCH.) Deborah walks away. And I am deceased.

Usage notes

• Not to be confused with diseased (affected with or suffering from disease).

Derived terms

• delebrity
• undeceased

 

Translations

no longer alive

• Afrikaans: oorlede (af), afgestorwe, wyle
• Arabic: مَيِّت (mayyit) مَيْت (mayt), مُتَوَفًّى (mutawaffan)
• Bashkir: үлгән (ülgən), (qualifier, postposition) мәрхүм (mərxüm)
• Belarusian: паме́рлы (pamjérly), мёртвы (mjórtvy)
• Breton: diwezhañ-marv
• Bulgarian: умря́л (bg) (umrjál), поко́ен (pokóen), мъ́ртъв (bg) (mǎ́rtǎv)
• Catalan: difunt (ca), mort (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 已故的 (zh) (yǐgù de), 死的 (zh) (sǐ de)

• Czech: zesnulý (cs) m, mrtvý (cs)
• Danish: afdød, død (da)
• Dutch: overleden (nl), dood (nl)
• Finnish: kuollut (fi)
• French: décédé (fr), mort (fr)
• Galician: finado, defunto (gl), morto (gl)
• German: verstorben (de), gestorben (de), tot (de)
• Greek: (formal) αποθανών (el) (apothanón), νεκρός (el) (nekrós)
• Hungarian: elhunyt (hu)
• Indonesian: meninggal (id), meninggal dunia (id), almarhum (id), wafat (id), mangkat (id) (used for kings)
• Irish: básaithe, ar shlí na fírinne
• Japanese: 亡くなった (ja) (なくなった, nakunatta), 死んだ (ja) (しんだ, shinda)
• Korean: 사망한 (ko) (samanghan), 죽은 (ko) (jugeun)
• Macedonian: покоен (pokoen), починат (počinat), мртов (mrtov), умрен (umren)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: avdød, død (no)

  Nynorsk: avdød

• Plautdietsch: doot
• Polish: nieżywy (pl), martwy (pl), zmarły (pl)
• Portuguese: falecido (pt), morto (pt)
• Romanian: mort (ro), decedat (ro), răposat (ro)
• Russian: поко́йный (ru) (pokójnyj), мёртвый (ru) (mjórtvyj), уме́рший (ru) (uméršij), усо́пший (ru) (usópšij) (literary)
• Sanskrit: मृत (sa) (mṛtá)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: мр̑твӣ, мр̀тав, по̀ко̄јнӣ, у̏мрлӣ

  Roman: mȓtvī (sh), mr̀tav (sh), pòkōjnī (sh), ȕmrlī (sh)

• Slovak: zosnulý, mŕtvy
• Slovene: preminul, pokojen, mŕtev (sl)
• Spanish: fallecido (es), muerto (es), difunto (es)
• Swedish: avliden (sv)
• Ukrainian: покі́йний (pokíjnyj), ме́ртвий (mértvyj), уме́рлий (umérlyj), поме́рлий (pomérlyj), ме́рлий (mérlyj)
• Volapük: ädeadöl (vo), deadik (vo)
• Welsh: ymadawedig (cy), diweddar (cy)

belonging to the dead

• Afrikaans: bestorwe
• Hebrew: מנוח (he) (manoakh), נפטר (he) (nift'ar)

Noun

deceased (plural deceased or deceaseds)

1. (euphemistic) Synonym of dead (“those who have died”).

   The deceased was interred in his local churchyard.

   a memorial to the deceased of two World Wars

2. (law) One who has died. In property law, the alternate term decedent is generally used in US English. In criminal law, “the deceased” refers to the victim of a homicide.

Usage notes

Deceased or decedent is commonly used in legal and journalistic settings. Departed is most commonly used in religious settings.

Synonyms

• (dead person): decedent, departed, late
• (plural: dead people): decedents, departed

Translations

dead person

• Afrikaans: oorledene, afgestorwene
• Arabic: مَرْحُوم m (marḥūm)
• Belarusian: нябо́жчык m (njabóžčyk), нябо́жчыца f (njabóžčyca), паме́рлы m (pamjérly), пако́йнік m (pakójnik), пако́йніца f (pakójnica), мёртвы m (mjórtvy)
• Berber:

  Tashelhit: imtti m

• Bulgarian: поко́йник (bg) m (pokójnik), поко́йница f (pokójnica), мъ́ртъв (bg) m (mǎ́rtǎv)
• Catalan: difunt (ca), mort (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 死者 (zh) (sǐzhě), 死人 (zh) (sǐrén)

• Czech: nebožtík (cs) m, nebožka (cs) f, nebožtička (cs) f, zesnulý (cs) m, mrtvý (cs) m, zemřelý (cs)
• Dutch: overledene (nl) m or f
• Finnish: kuollut (fi)
• French: défunt (fr)
• Galician: morto (gl) m, defunto (gl) m
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: Verstorbene (de) f, Verstorbener (de) m
• Greek: εκλιπών (el) m (eklipón), εκλιπούσα (el) f (eklipoúsa)
• Hebrew: מנוח (he) m (manoakh), מנוחה (he) f (menokha), נפטר (he) m (nift'ar), נפטרת f (nift'eret)
• Hungarian: elhunyt (hu)
• Indonesian: almarhum (id), almarhumah (id) f
• Japanese: 死人 (ja) (しにん, shinin, しびと, shibito), 仏様 (ja) (ほとけさま, hotokesama), 故人 (ja) (こじん, gojin), 死者 (ja) (し​しゃ, shisha)
• Korean: 고인(故人) (ko) (goin), 죽은 사람 (jugeun saram), 사자(死者) (ko) (saja)
• Latin: dēfūnctus m, dēfūncta f, mortuus (la) m, mortua f
• Macedonian: покојник m (pokojnik), покојница f (pokojnica), мртов m (mrtov)
• Polish: zmarły (pl) m, nieboszczyk (pl) m, nieboszczka (pl) f, martwy (pl) m
• Portuguese: falecido (pt) m
• Romani: mulo m, muli f
• Romanian: defunct (ro) m, decedat (ro) m, răposat (ro) m (euphemistic)
• Russian: поко́йник (ru) m (pokójnik), поко́йница (ru) f (pokójnica), поко́йный (ru) m (pokójnyj), уме́рший (ru) m (uméršij), мёртвый (ru) m (mjórtvyj)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: мр̀твац m, по̀ко̄јнӣк m, по̀ко̄јница f

  Roman: mr̀tvac (sh) m, pòkōjnīk (sh) m, pòkōjnica (sh) f

• Slovak: zosnulý m, nebožtík m, nebožka f, nebožtička f
• Slovene: preminuli m, preminula f, pokojnik m, pokojnica f
• Spanish: difunto (es) m
• Swedish: avliden (sv) c, död (sv) c, döing (sv) c, lik (sv) n, bår (sv) c
• Ukrainian: небі́жчик m (nebížčyk), небі́жчиця f (nebížčycja), покі́йник m (pokíjnyk), покі́йниця f (pokíjnycja), поме́рлий m (pomérlyj), ме́ртвий m (mértvyj)
• Vietnamese: người chết
• Yiddish: ניפֿטר m (nifter)

plural: dead people

• Afrikaans: oorledenes, afgestorwenes
• Berber:

  Tashelhit: imttan m pl

• Dutch: overledenen (nl) pl
• French: défunts (fr)
• German: Verstorbene (de) pl, Tote (de) pl (general)
• Japanese: 死人 (ja) (しにん, shinin, しびと, shibito)
• Polish: zmarli m pl
• Portuguese: falecidos (pt) pl, mortos (pt) pl
• Russian: мёртвые (ru) pl (mjórtvyje), поги́бшие (ru) pl (pogíbšije)
• Yiddish: ניפֿטרים m pl (niftorem)