Origin of terms Passed Away and Deceased
I really dislike the expression “Passed away” and would like to know where it came from. I am not keen on “deceased” either. Died seems gentle enough.
This from a Low Episcopalian.....
Pass was once more common than it is now for 'go, move'. OED 1, s.v. Pass, verb, cites pass alone, with no preposition, to mean 'die' (sense 11.) from about 1300.
Pass away, meaning depart, has been used in the sense 'die' (60.) since about 1375; Lay Folks Mass Book (MS. B) 112: “God lord graunt .. rest and pese Þat lastis ay to christen soules passed away.”