chrisom child

American  

[kriz-uhm chahyld] / ˈkrɪz əm ˌtʃaɪld /

noun

1. a baptized child that dies in their first month of life.

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Etymology

Origin of chrisom child

First recorded in 1535–45

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chrisom child

A sixteenth century brass in Chesham Bois Church, in Buckinghamshire, represents Benedict Lee, chrisom child, in his chrisom cloth.

From Curious Church Customs and Cognate Subjects by Andrews, William

Bishop Jeremy Taylor mentions the phantasms that make a chrisom child to smile at death.

From Works of John Bunyan — Volume 03 by Bunyan, John

If it dies within a month after these ceremonies, it was called a chrisom child.

From Works of John Bunyan — Volume 03 by Bunyan, John

He died like a lamb, or, as men call it, like a chrisom child, quietly and without fear.'

From Bunyan by Froude, James Anthony

So, too, one fee was charged for interring a " great corse," another for a "chrisom child."

From The Elizabethan Parish in its Ecclesiastical and Financial Aspects by Ware, Sedley Lynch