bier

[ beer ]

/ bɪər /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for bier on Thesaurus.com

noun

a frame or stand on which a corpse or the coffin containing it is laid before burial.

such a stand together with the corpse or coffin.

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of bier

before 900; Middle English bere,Old English bēr, bǣr(e); cognate with Old High German bāra (German Bahre), Dutch, Danish baar,Swedish bår; spelling influenced by French bière; akin to bear¹, barrow¹

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bier

beer, bier

Words nearby bier

biennium, bien pensant, bienvenu, bienvenue, Bienville, bier, Bierce, bierkäse, bierkeller, Biernacki's sign, Bier's method

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use bier in a sentence

So they laid her on a bier, and all seven of them sat down beside it and wept and wept for three whole days.
In New Brothers Grimm 'Snow White', The Prince Doesn't Save Her|The Brothers Grimm|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The corpse was lying in a narrow coffin, upon a low bier, both of which were covered with a white pall.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
I went in rather early, and came upon two men carrying the parish bier back to its place under the tower.
A Thin Ghost and Others|M. R. (Montague Rhodes) James
When Justin returned, ropes were passed round the leafy bier and the body was lowered by concerted effort.
Menotah|Ernest G. Henham

There is an old funeral bier in one part of it, and we have failed to ascertain the precise object of the article.
Our Churches and Chapels|Atticus
From top to bottom of the granite ran long red lines, which might have been compared to oozings from a funeral bier.
Toilers of the Sea|Victor Hugo

British Dictionary definitions for bier

bier

/ (bɪə) /

noun

a platform or stand on which a corpse or a coffin containing a corpse rests before burial

Word Origin for bier

Old English bǣr; related to beran to bear 1, Old High German bāra bier, Sanskrit bhārá a burden

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

bier

Origin of bier

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bier

Words nearby bier

Words related to bier

How to use bier in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bier

Word Origin for bier