What does demised mean?
"Demised" is the past tense and past participle of the verb "demise," a word with two quite different lives. In its primary modern sense, to die is described formally or wryly: a founder may be said to have "demised," lending the sentence a mock-solemn tone that writers often deploy for gentle humour. In law, however, "demise" retains its older meaning of transferring an estate, particularly by lease; here "demised" survives almost exclusively in the set phrase "demised premises," the standard British legal term for the property granted under a lease. The word descends from Latin "dimissio" (a sending away), reaching English through Old French, which explains its kinship with "dismiss." Outside these two registers — obituary-style formality and conveyancing documents — "demised" is rare, and the simpler noun "demise" (as in "the demise of the empire") is what most readers will encounter.
verbPast tense and past participle of "demise": to transfer an estate by lease, or, in legal usage, to convey property; also a formal or jocular way of saying that someone has died.
- (Law) Transferred or conveyed by lease; granted as an estate for a term of years — chiefly in the fixed phrase "demised premises."
- (Formal or humorous) Having died; past away.
"The tenant was responsible for repairs to the demised premises throughout the lease."
"All fixtures attached to the demised premises become part of the landlord's property at the end of the term."
"The chairman, having sadly demised last spring, left the society in capable hands."
In British legal documents, the rooms you rent are literally called "the demised premises" — your flat has been demised to you.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of demised
The word comes from the Anglo-Norman and Old French "demise" (a noun meaning transfer or conveyance), from the feminine past participle of "démettre," itself from Latin "dimittere," meaning to send away or let go. It entered English in the late Middle Ages as a legal term for the conveyance of an estate, especially by lease. Because a king's death involved the "demise of the Crown" — the passing of the estate to the heir — the word acquired its extended sense of death, first applied to people humorously or euphemistically. Cognates include "dismiss" and "demission," all tracing back to the same Latin root.
How demised is actually used
The leasehold sense is technical and appears almost exclusively in property law, especially in British legal drafting. The death sense is deliberately formal or tongue-in-cheek; using it casually can sound affected or flippant. The base form "demise" is far more common than the inflected "demised" outside legal documents.
Easily confused with demised
"Deceased" is an adjective or noun meaning dead, whereas "demised" is the verb form of demise, which in everyday use is a formal or humorous way to say someone has died.
"Dismissed" means sent away or removed from a position, while "demised" relates either to dying or, in legal contexts, to granting property by lease.