why do we say 'passed'?

MerylStreep

I would never say anything other than “dead” or “died.” All the passing away kind of expressions are twee and, in my view, rather inappropriate.

Barmyoldbat
My late mother in law had a friend who would use that expression.
One year she lost 4 people. It nearly got to the dark humour stage.

Passed from one state to another - life to death, perfectly acceptable and grammatically correct term.

I suppose that "passed" suggests that the deceased has gone to another place, whereas "died" is final. I think that the former is rather prissy or mealy mouthed as though the speaker is reluctant to admit the reality to themself.

Must say I was surprised at the Telegraph’s online headline yesterday - saying the Queen had ‘passed away’. I wouldn’t have thought their editorial staff would shrink from the ‘d’ word.

I don’t use it, and I don’t like it, but to a lot of people it evidently sounds less awful than ‘died’.

I will admit to liking good old Victorian expressions like, ‘He was gathered to his fathers,’ - not that I’d ever use it!

I said died when it was my daughter then there can be no confusion, my friend phoned me sometime ago and said she had lost her mum……. Well I will say no more than I put my foot in it with my response.

They tried to tell me to use " passed peacefully " when my wife died, and I suppose tried to soften the blow. I changed the wording to "died" which was true. Walking round the local cemetry, reading gravestones, was amazed at the variety of options of the way they "left"

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

I'm a Catholic and use the term, died, dead, death. At my late husband's funeral, the priest officiating also used those words.
It doesn't bother me if others prefer or feel more comfortable saying passed or any other versions.
My grandmother always said, "passed away."
Each to their own.

I’ve noticed that it’s only people/ families who hold religious beliefs who say a person has passed away instead of died.

My grandmother used to say he or she ''got away''when someone died.
I also remember such phrases as popped their clogs, snuffed it, and kicked the bucket.All from my youth.
I am a catholic and know a lot of the religious ways of describing death.

You have to die for your soul to pass on .

The weirdest thing I read recently. was of someone who had been murdered in a fight and the family posted that he had 'passed on' in their tribute. I can see that they might have been too traumatised to say he had been murdered or killed, but passed on? With all its implications of someone gently passing from this world to the next?

Personally I would say passed , I'm a Christian and believe I will pass over, but am not offended if you say died,kicked the bucket, moved on, I would take the lead of the person bereaved, and yes for me my body will have died but my soul goes on, to each their own

Whatever term/ expression is used by the a bereaved person is the right one.
After a bereavement, the person/family have enough to deal with without the added concern/worry that they maybe offending others by using the wrong phrase/ word.

By using the term A Loss or indeed Passed away, it is quite obvious what they mean .
When I witnessed both my mother and father draw their last breath, they had passed away and were no longer present in this world

The hospice and staff used the term Loss .

I rather like the very old expression ‘gathered to his fathers’ - only seen - at least by me - in Victorian novels - but OTOH I’ve yet to read of a woman being ‘gathered to her mothers’.

In my family it has always been ‘died’ - passed and passed away do give me a slight internal cringe. A close foreign friend always says ‘passed away’. I dare say she ‘caught’ it from her husband, who always said it, and was gathered to his fathers a few years ago now.

I had a dear friend who on being told someone had lost her partner remarked that was very careless of her.
I too dislike many euphemisms however I’ve been guilty of saying ‘when I fall off the perch’.

Me too for saying died.
Saying passing sounds like when the flowers are over, and people say they've passed.

I’m definitely in the dead /died camp , even ‘passed away’
But ‘Passed’ just doesn’t sound right to me.
If I am told someone has ‘ Passed’ I immediately think they have passed some sort of test.

"Passing" as in from one state to another - life to death - and "loss" as in the loss of the living physical presence of a loved one are not mealy mouthed, soften the blow, semantic euphemisms but actual descriptions of fact. Feel free to use them in the knowledge that you're grammatically correct.

I am not sure it is to do with faith. Plenty of people with religious beliefs will talking of peple dying or being dead.

I lways think it dates back to a time when death and things like that were things not talked about in polite company and people used euphamisms instead. A few generations down the line it now all depends on what vocabulary your family have used in the past and handed down. I grew up in a family that talked about death and people having died, my mother would have never have said anything to upset anyone, but if I or my sisters had ever used the words 'passing' rather than 'has died' or 'is dead', we would have been corrected.

When my cat died I was visiting my sister and her little daughter asked why I was upset. Because her cat has gone to the happy hunting ground. Later there was a dead cat in the gutter. Niece “ pussy gone to the happy hunting grounds”.

It’s to do with faith I think - ‘passed on’, ‘passed away’ to a new life. I’m always amazed that someone who dies who had absolutely no faith or their family have no faith and the family talks about that person being with already dead relatives or in heaven. I guess it’s a comfort thing, but either you believe or you don’t!

When my husband died I said he was dead. Never said passed. I hate saying my late husband. As my husband was never late in his life. When I talk about I sometimes have to say late husband as people think he's still alive if I don't. I have been widowed for 18 years since I was 45 and my husband 47. I hate being classed as single . To me I am still married and hate it if people say Miss or Ms I am Mrs and always will be. Still wear my wedding ring. My husband was and is the love of my life. My one and only.