This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
coffin
[ kaw-fin, kof-in ]
/ ˈkɔ fɪn, ˈkɒf ɪn /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun
the box or case in which the body of a dead person is placed for burial; casket.
the part of a horse's foot containing the coffin bone.
Printing.
- the bed of a platen press.
- the wooden frame around the bed of an early wooden press.
verb (used with object)
to put or enclose in or as in a coffin.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
Origin of coffin
1300–50; Middle English cofin<Old North French <Latin cophinus<Greek kóphinos a kind of basket
OTHER WORDS FROM coffin
cof·fin·less, adjectiveun·cof·fin, verb (used with object)Words nearby coffin
coffee tree, coffer, cofferdam, coffered, Coffeyville, coffin, coffin bone, coffin corner, coffinite, coffin nail, coffle
Other definitions for coffin (2 of 2)
Coffin
[ kaw-fin, kof-in ]
/ ˈkɔ fɪn, ˈkɒf ɪn /
noun
Levi, 1798–1877, U.S. abolitionist leader.
Robert P(eter) Tristram, 1892–1955, U.S. poet, essayist, and biographer.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use coffin in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for coffin
coffin
/ (ˈkɒfɪn) /
noun
a box in which a corpse is buried or cremated
the part of a horse's foot that contains the coffin bone
verb
(tr) to place in or as in a coffin
engineering another name for flask (def. 6)
Word Origin for coffin
C14: from Old French cofin, from Latin cophinus basket; see coffer
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