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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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