décéder

to pass away, to die

verb deh-seh-DEH Rare

Origin: Latin 'decedere' (to depart)

Usage Note

Décéder is a formal, administrative euphemism for dying, used on death certificates, in official notices, and polite speech. Unlike mourir (to die), it is almost never used in casual conversation. It conjugates with être in compound tenses: il est décédé (he passed away). The noun is le décès (death, passing).

Examples

"Son grand-père est décédé la semaine dernière."

Natural Translation

His grandfather passed away last week.

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