décès

death, decease

noun deh-SEH Less Common

Origin: Latin decessus

Usage Note

Décès is the formal or administrative word for death, used in legal documents, obituaries, and official contexts — acte de décès is a death certificate. It is more euphemistic and formal than mort. The word ends in a silent 's' that is present in both singular and plural (un décès, des décès).

Examples

"Le décès a été annoncé hier."

Natural Translation

The death was announced yesterday.

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