hearse

American  

[hurs] / hɜrs /

noun

1. a vehicle for conveying a dead person to the place of burial.

2. a triangular frame for holding candles, used at the service of Tenebrae in Holy Week.

3. a canopy erected over a tomb.

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hearse British  

/ hɜːs /

noun

1. a vehicle, such as a specially designed car or carriage, used to carry a coffin to a place of worship and ultimately to a cemetery or crematorium

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• hearselike
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of hearse

1250–1300; Middle English herse < Middle French herce a harrow < Latin hirpicem, accusative of hirpex

Explanation

A hearse is a long black car with a very specific purpose: carrying a coffin to a church or cemetery. Some vehicles have very specific functions, and the hearse is one of them. It's only use is for carrying coffins, usually to or from a church or cemetery. As with most things surrounding funerals, a hearse is black. It's also long, so it can fit the coffin. Before cars were invented, hearses were pulled by horses. Of all the vehicles in the world, the hearse is probably the most depressing.

Example Sentences

The real discovery for many will be singer-songwriter Sam Dew, an Antonoff and Sounwave collaborator in the band Red Hearse, who lends some velvety textures to seven tracks.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 22, 2024

On his Facebook page, "Hearse Trump Train," he updates the whereabouts of the automobile, which is owned by his mother.

From Salon • Dec. 6, 2020

The Empty Hearse is broadcast on BBC One at 9pm on 1 January.

From BBC • Jan. 1, 2014

The Hearse, like much of Wampire's stuff, is in the murky Ariel Pink/John Maus/Gary War vein, where the sonics are pop-sludgy and the vocals are like a parody or a travesty of crooning.

From The Guardian • Feb. 18, 2013

He had just enough time to walk home, clean all the fast-food wrappers and soda cans out of the Hearse, take a shower, buy some flowers from the White Hen, and pickup Marie.

From "An Abundance of Katherines" by John Green