It is not Spanish but French, demi-deuil (demí deil ) means "half mourning" which is the period after "full mourning". The main difference is in clothing, which immediately after the death of a nearby person is black or dark, and after a while half mourning allows to wear some white or light garment. This is why in French and international cuisine it is called demi-deuil to food that visually associates black and white ingredients. Also in entomology is used to name the butterfly Melanargia galathea, whose wings are black with white spots. See mourning .
