When did "passed" replace "died" -- and WHY?

[Anonymous]

the people saying "graduated" and "transitioned" are nuts. All you're doing is confusing people with that, making them think someone finished high school or went from male to female. Good Lord, grow up and just say someone died.

[Anonymous]

“Died” is obviously painful for a lot of people and I have no intention of quibbling with them.

[Anonymous]

are you people serious?! you don't like when someone says "passed" or "passed away" over "died"? either get the sticks out your asses or get some real problems to be upset over.

[Anonymous]

Good Lord, the sh people bch about.

[Anonymous]

I am from New York (Catholic) and always said died. My Jewish friends did sometimes us “passed away”. Of If I am referring to someone in my life, I always say “my MIL died”. However, if it is someone in your life and I haven’t heard you use any term, I say “I’m sorry your father passed away” because I don’t want to upset you further if “passed away” is your custom. I also say “passed away” if I’m in a large group (unless it’s my family, and the who knows what we’ll say and “kicked the bucket” is not out of the realm of possibility). I have heard “gone home” more and more frequently in Christian religious circles.

I’m at the point where “passed away” no longer grates on me, but the other ones do. However, the only thing I say is “I’m sorry”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:are you people serious?! you don't like when someone says "passed" or "passed away" over "died"? either get the sticks out your asses or get some real problems to be upset over.

The concern is over saying “passed” instead of “passed away” or “passed on.” “Died” is fine, but saying just “passed” sounds like the phrase is missing a word.

[Anonymous]

I've heard "passed" for years.

Some people mean "passed away" some mean "passed on" as in, to a better place.

I don't think I've met anyone confused by the phrase.

Now, anything to do with the word death isn't allowed on some platforms. I prefer "passed " or some version of it to "unalived".

[Anonymous]

Passed has always been used for as long as I can remember. When my cousin's dad passed, she said "transitioned," which I found a bit odd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:are you people serious?! you don't like when someone says "passed" or "passed away" over "died"? either get the sticks out your asses or get some real problems to be upset over.

The concern is over saying “passed” instead of “passed away” or “passed on.” “Died” is fine, but saying just “passed” sounds like the phrase is missing a word.

Is it? Reread the first post.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in DC and “passed” was very common. Maybe it’s regional?

It’s very much a Black thing.

I am a white woman and heard “passed” used by Black colleagues in a rust belt city 20+ years ago. It is not new and it is not regional.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hate it as well. It already feels like there’s such a taboo around death, and this word makes it even worse

100%

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:are you people serious?! you don't like when someone says "passed" or "passed away" over "died"? either get the sticks out your asses or get some real problems to be upset over.

The concern is over saying “passed” instead of “passed away” or “passed on.” “Died” is fine, but saying just “passed” sounds like the phrase is missing a word.

Well it's like saying p*ssed instead of p*ssed off when saying you're annoyed. In the UK, the first one means you're really drunk while the second means annoyed. When people say the first one here, I think "you seem quite sober".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's such a confusing use. I hear that someone passed, and I'm like "... a kidney stone? an intersection?"

When I was a kid, the country folk used to say "passed away," but it was very definitely a hick thing. And now "passed" all by itself.

Why have so many well-read and otherwise well-spoken people taken up this sloppy speech? What's the objection to "died"?

I'm from an urban area in the South and we always said "passed" or "passed away " It's just a gentler way of saying died.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a friend that uses the word Transitioned. I like that.

I think transitioned comes from hospice. They refer to the end stage dying process as transitioning. So, people naturally use the past tense once someone has died.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's such a confusing use. I hear that someone passed, and I'm like "... a kidney stone? an intersection?"

When I was a kid, the country folk used to say "passed away," but it was very definitely a hick thing. And now "passed" all by itself.

Why have so many well-read and otherwise well-spoken people taken up this sloppy speech? What's the objection to "died"?

When I hear "passed" I immediately think "Do not pass Go.!