burial

[ber-ee-uhl]

noun

1. the act or ceremony of burying.

2. the place of burying; grave.

burial

/ ˈbɛrɪəl /

noun

1. the act of burying, esp the interment of a dead body

Other Word Forms

• reburial noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of burial¹

First recorded in 1200–50; bury + -al ²; replacing Middle English buriel, back formation from Old English byrgels “burial place,” from byrg(an) “to bury” + -els(e), noun suffix ( riddle ¹ )

Word History and Origins

Origin of burial¹

Old English byrgels burial place, tomb; see _bury , _-al ²

Example Sentences

“I had so much metal inside me, I thought I wouldn’t need a burial when I died—the undertaker could just pop me in the recycling bin,” he quips in “Last Rites.”

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When authorities finally handed his body over to his mother days after his death, she said she was pressured to agree to a secret burial.

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Goren is one of the many hostage family members who are eager to see a deal that will bring home the remains of their loved ones for burial.

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Hundreds of mourners walked with coffins draped in colourful cloth into the compound of the Arerti Mariam church while clerics conducted burial rituals.

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It also reminded residents that leaving litter or waste behind at the cemetery was a criminal offence and said there would be "strict monitoring and enforcement" to preserve burial sites.

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Related Words

• funeral 
• interment