trépas

Trépas is a noun in French that designates death, especially in archaic, literary, or solemn contexts. It refers to the end of life or to the moment when life ends. In contemporary usage, it is largely supplanted by mort or décès, and trépas typically appears in poetry, religious language, obituaries, or historical writing to convey a ceremonial or elevated tone.

The term originates from Old French trépas and is closely linked to the verb trépasser, meaning to die. Because of its elevated register, trépas often appears in fixed expressions such as à son trépas or in phrases that heighten the solemnity of death. Its usage signals formality and a stylized treatment of mortality.

In literature and religious discourse, trépas can evoke finality, fate, or transcendence, and it is commonly found in classical prose and poetry. The word contributes a weighty, somber mood and is characteristic of historical or rhetorical style rather than everyday speech.

Compared with modern terms for death, trépas emphasizes the event as a momentous, often inevitable passage, rather than merely a biological cessation. It remains a recognizable marker of traditional, ceremonial French and is encountered in translations of liturgical texts, classical works, and certain types of poetic or commemorative writing. See also mort, décès, fin de vie.