1.10.2007

Dear William Safire,

Word question: why do we say "deceased" instead of just "ceased" (as in "he ceased to exist") as a descriptor for the dead?

(Earlier question: If there are "disgruntled" employees, why aren't there "gruntled" ones?)
at

2 comments:

  1. Joseph4:33 PM

    Your friendly linguist says...

    deceased: c.1330, from Fr. deces, from L. decessus "death," lit. "departure" (euphemism for mors), from pp. stem of decedere "die," from de- "away" + cedere "go"

    ReplyDelete
  2. Paul Schmelzer5:27 PM

    Ah, thank you, Joseph. Any luck with "gruntled"?

    ReplyDelete