headstone

American  

[hed-stohn] / ˈhɛdˌstoʊn /

noun

1. a stone marker set at the head heads of a grave; gravestone.

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headstone British  

/ ˈhɛdˌstəʊn /

noun

1. a memorial stone at the head of a grave

2. architect another name for keystone

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Etymology

Origin of headstone

First recorded in 1525–35; head + stone

Example Sentences

Last year, Ms Dorrian's siblings added her name to their mother's headstone to commemorate the 19th anniversary of her disappearance.

From BBC

Stray leaves cover the field, like headstones in a cemetery.

From Literature

Not included: “A headstone or any other permanent memorial,” the site adds.

From MarketWatch

The Commonwealth War Grave Commission cleared the site of all headstones after many had been vandalised or fallen into disrepair.

From BBC

Before that he was a young boy, born on Halloween, frolicking among unmarked headstones as the son of funerary masons.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• marker
• monument
• tombstone