demises

Noun

demise (countable and uncountable, plural demises)

1. The conveyance or transfer of an estate, either in fee for life or for years, most commonly the latter.
2. Transmission by formal act or conveyance to an heir or successor; transference; especially, the transfer or transmission of the crown or royal authority to a successor.
   • Immediately upon the Royal Assent being signified to this Act the Instrument of Abdication […] shall have effect, and thereupon His Majesty shall cease to be King and there shall be a demise of the Crown, and accordingly the member of the Royal Family then next in succession to the Throne shall...1936, Parliament of the United Kingdom, “Section 1”, in His Majesty's Declaration of Abdication Act 1936, page 1
3. (countable) Death; decease.
   • Earth looked her loveliest to receive my sweet sister's gentle dust; but all was harsh and sullen as her own nature when Lady Avonleigh's haughty ashes returned to their original element. Immediately after her demise, her son went abroad, and I accompanied him.1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XII, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume II, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 124

   Synonyms:

   fatality, quietus, death, end, tomb, celestial transfer, decease, decomposition, defunction, dematerialization

4. (countable) The end of something, in a negative sense; downfall.
   • The lack of funding ultimately led to the project's demise.
5. The atmospheric disintegration of a satellite or satellite component upon re-entering Earth's atmosphere.
   • Relocating components to places where they receive more heating effect earlier in the reentry and even triggering a partial break-up of the satellite structure during reentry to aid demise.

See all 10 meanings of demise