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death mask

American  

noun

  1. a cast taken of a person's face after death.


death mask British  

noun

  1. a cast of a person's face taken shortly after death Compare life mask

"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

Etymology

Origin of death mask

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

King Tutankhamun’s tomb, containing the pharaoh’s solid-gold inner coffin and death mask.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 16, 2026

His death mask is held at Moyse Hall and Norwich Castle.

From BBC Apr. 22, 2025

“She had the death mask of her mother.”

From Los Angeles Times Mar. 10, 2023

He maintained that King Tut had inherited a suite of lavish burial equipment that had then been repurposed to accompany him into the afterlife, including his famous gold death mask.

From New York Times Oct. 30, 2022

She couldn’t see it on his face, which was like a death mask: grim and lifeless with hollows for eyes.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

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