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

“We played softball next to the potter’s field where he was buried and we would visit him on the holidays, with flowers and prayers,” she said.

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

Instead of using the potter’s field, Dr. Sampson said her agency would soon start letting families freeze the bodies of their loved ones as a “long-term storage option” at the disaster morgues.

From New York Times • Apr. 30, 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