burial

[ ber-ee-uh l ]

/ ˈbɛr i əl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR burial ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act or ceremony of burying.

the place of burying; grave.

Nearby words

burgundian, burgundy, burgundy trefoil, burhel, buri, burial, burial ground, burial mound, buriat, buridan's ass, buried flap

Origin of burial

1200–50; bury + -al²; replacing Middle English buriel, back formation from Old English byrgels burial place, equivalent to byrg(an) to bury + -els noun suffix; cf. riddle¹

Related forms

re·bur·i·al, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for burial

As the burial team arrived to remove the body, he began making small movements and was found to be still alive.
What It’s Like to Wake Up Dead|Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD, Tej Azad|November 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Unfortunately, neither of our teams had pinpointed the pig's burial site.
Knowing Where the Bodies Are Buried: An Excerpt From 'Lives in Ruins'|Marilyn Johnson|November 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“At one point they were going to perform a burial ceremony with the ashes,” he says.
Rage Against the Ebola Crematorium|Abby Haglage|November 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This one woman crawled toward the body of her sister as the burial team carried out the body, carried the body bag away.
The Photojournalist Who Stared Down Ebola|Abby Haglage|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST

But the chain of death continued in the family after the burial of their mother.
This Man Lost 35 Relatives to Ebola and His Community Wants Him Gone|Wade C.L. Williams|October 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
No ceremonies I ever beheld impressed and affected me so much as the burial of the little twins at sea.
Five Years in New Zealand|Robert B. Booth
Burial became too gigantic a labor, and John and Simon ordered the bodies thrown over the walls to prevent pestilence.
The City of Delight|Elizabeth Miller
He is amazed at the absurdity of their burial rites, and he astonishes Hermes by quoting Homer on the subject.
The Conflict of Religions in the Early Roman Empire|T. R. Glover
Wherefore even the Tyrians, being moved with indignation, were very liberal towards their burial.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
Our first impression of Death and Burial is associated with this formless pair.
Harper's New Monthly Magazine Vol. IV, No. 19, Dec 1851|Various

British Dictionary definitions for burial

burial

/ (ˈbɛrɪəl) /

noun

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

Word Origin for burial

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

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