hearse

American  

[hurs] / hɜrs /

noun

1. a vehicle for conveying a dead person to the place of burial.

2. a triangular frame for holding candles, used at the service of Tenebrae in Holy Week.

3. a canopy erected over a tomb.

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hearse British  

/ hɜːs /

noun

1. a vehicle, such as a specially designed car or carriage, used to carry a coffin to a place of worship and ultimately to a cemetery or crematorium

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Other Word Forms

• hearselike adjective

Etymology

Origin of hearse

1250–1300; Middle English herse < Middle French herce a harrow < Latin hirpicem, accusative of hirpex

Example Sentences

As their coffins rested in the hearse, we began to sing “Am Yisrael Chai,” the anthem of the Soviet Jewry movement.

From The Wall Street Journal

Impatient drivers must "show respect" for funeral corteges after a hearse was side-swiped, delaying someone's funeral and causing £20,000 of damage, a funeral director has said.

From BBC

Soldiers from the Royal Dragoon Guard, of which she had been deputy colonel in chief, carried the coffin from the royal hearse into the cathedral.

From BBC

Thousands of Black Sabbath fans honored the musician’s legacy as his hearse, followed by his wife and children, made its way through Birmingham, the Associated Press reported.

From Los Angeles Times

Thousands of Black Sabbath fans honored Osbourne’s life and legacy last week as his hearse, followed by his wife and children, made its way through Brimingham, the Associated Press reported.

From Los Angeles Times