potter's field

American  

noun

(sometimes initial capital letters)

1. a piece of ground reserved as a burial place for strangers and the friendless poor. Matthew 27:7.

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potter's field British  

noun

1. a cemetery where the poor or unidentified are buried at the public expense

2. New Testament the land bought by the Sanhedrin with the money paid for the betrayal of Jesus (which Judas had returned to them) to be used as a burial place for strangers and the friendless poor (Acts 1:19; Matthew 27:7)

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Etymology

Origin of potter's field

First recorded in 1520–30

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

potter's field

The family lived down the street from the potter’s field where the boy was first buried, and placed flowers there on holidays.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 13, 2023

After an autopsy, Joseph was buried for the first time at a potter’s field in the city.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 8, 2022

Four years later, she still leaves flowers at the potter’s field each Memorial Day.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 7, 2021

The videos emerged as the coronavirus outbreak ravaged New York, and after they circulated, officials confirmed what viewers suspected: The city had begun interring unclaimed bodies of Covid-19 victims in the potter’s field.

From New York Times ● Apr. 29, 2020

Soon after, they were buried in unmarked graves in a potter's field.

From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple

Related Words

• garden
• graveyard
• mortuary
• tomb