churchyard

[church-yahrd]

noun

1. the yard or ground adjoining a church, often used as a graveyard.

churchyard

/ ˈtʃɜːtʃˌjɑːd /

noun

1. the grounds surrounding a church, usually used as a graveyard

Word History and Origins

Origin of churchyard¹

1125–75; Middle English chirche yeard; church, yard ²

Example Sentences

He was told locals of an ancient village near Chepstow had awoken to find more than 50 holes mysteriously dug among the gravestones of their churchyard.

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Stones stolen from a 19th Century churchyard are expected to cost more than £20,000 to repair.

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The Jackal's forgery of a British passport, using the name of a dead child taken from a churchyard, was perfectly feasible in the days before electronic databases and cross-checking.

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Others can be found in places as diverse as housing estates, urban parks, village greens and churchyards.

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A low mound near the churchyard was rumoured by folklore to have contained a giant skeleton, perhaps even Ivar himself.

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Related Words

• garden 
• graveyard 
• mortuary 
• tomb