de ‧ ceased /dɪˈsiːst/ BrE AmE noun law
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Origin: decease 'to die' (15-19 centuries) , from French décès 'death' , from Latin decedere 'to leave, die' ]
the deceased someone who has died, especially recently:
The deceased left a large sum of money to his children.
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THESAURUS
▪ dead no longer alive:
the bodies of three dead soldiers
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Is her father dead?
▪ lifeless literary dead or seeming to be dead:
their lifeless bodies
▪ late [only before noun] formal dead – use this as a polite way of talking about someone who has died, especially recently:
Mrs Lombard’s late husband
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a gold Cartier bracelet that once belonged to the late American artist Andy Warhol
▪ deceased formal dead:
Her parents, now deceased, disapproved of her marriage.
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her deceased husband
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They were friends of the deceased (=the person who died) .
▪ departed [only before noun] dead – used in order to be polite and avoid saying the word ‘dead’:
They paid their respects to their departed uncle.
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his dear departed wife
▪ gone [not before noun] informal dead – used especially when someone was alive not long before:
‘Is she gone?’ ‘I’m afraid so.’