décédée

Décédée is the feminine form of the French adjective and noun décédé, meaning dead or deceased. It is used to refer to a person, typically a woman, who has died. In formal or neutral contexts such as obituaries, civil registries, medical or legal documents, and journalism, décédée appears as part of a phrase like la personne décédée or la femme décédée. The corresponding masculine form is décédé. In ordinary speech, speakers more often say elle est décédée or la personne décédée rather than using the bare adjective as a noun.

Etymology and usage notes: décédée derives from the verb décéder (to die, to pass away), which itself comes from a Latin root meaning to depart. The word functions as an adjective and may be used as a noun phrase (la décédée) in certain formal contexts; it can appear in obituaries or necrologies to identify the deceased individual.

Plural and related terms: when referring to more than one deceased person, décédés (masculine or mixed gender) or décédées (feminine) are used. Synonyms and related terms include défunt/defunte, which are more literary or dated; défunte is commonly found in obituaries as a stand-alone noun phrase.

See also: décès (the event of death), décéder (to die), défunt/defunte (deceased, with gender variants). The term décédée carries a formal, neutral register and should be used with sensitivity in contexts involving bereavement.