potter's field

American  

noun

(sometimes initial capital letters)

1. a piece of ground reserved as a burial place for strangers and the friendless poor. Matthew 27:7.

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potter's field British  

noun

1. a cemetery where the poor or unidentified are buried at the public expense

2. New Testament the land bought by the Sanhedrin with the money paid for the betrayal of Jesus (which Judas had returned to them) to be used as a burial place for strangers and the friendless poor (Acts 1:19; Matthew 27:7)

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Etymology

Origin of potter's field

First recorded in 1520–30

Example Sentences

“We played softball next to the potter’s field where he was buried and we would visit him on the holidays, with flowers and prayers,” she said.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 13, 2023

After an autopsy, Joseph was buried for the first time at a potter’s field in the city.

From Washington Post • Dec. 8, 2022

Since the 1800s, this potter’s field in Long Island Sound has been the final resting place for the marginalized, the unidentified and the sick.

From New York Times • Mar. 16, 2022

There is room for more than 14,000 cremains in the potter’s field, and both men say they plan to continue claiming and burying the dead until they join them in the earthly embrace of Mt.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 7, 2021

After the potter’s field and Bush Hill cemeteries were full, they took over the public square nearest Bush Hill and began burying paupers there.

From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy

Related Words

• garden
• graveyard
• mortuary
• tomb