décédé

Décédé is a French term that functions as the past participle of the verb mourir, used as an adjective meaning “deceased” or “having died.” It designates someone who has died and is commonly found in formal or obituary language. In everyday speech, people more often say “il est mort” or “elle est morte.” As an attributive or predicative adjective, it agrees with gender and number: le homme décédé, la femme décédée, les personnes décédées.

Etymology and form: décédé comes from the Old French décéder, which itself derives from Latin decedere “to fall away, to die,” formed from de- + cadere “to fall.” The feminine form is décédée, the plural forms are décédés (masc) and décédées (fem).

Usage and context: décédé is widely used in formal writing, legal or civil documentation, and obituaries. It can also appear in genealogical notes or death notices. The noun form un décédé (masc) or une décédée (fem) exists but is less common than défunt or la personne décédée to refer to a deceased person.

Related terms: the noun décès denotes death as a concept or event, while acte de décès refers to a death certificate. The term is closely related to other expressions describing death in formal French, where exact language is preferred for documenting or reporting a death.