urn

American  

[urn] / ɜrn /

noun

1. a large or decorative vase, especially one with an ornamental foot or pedestal.

2. a vase for holding the ashes of the cremated dead.

3. a large metal container with a spigot, used for making or serving tea or coffee in quantity.

4. Botany. the spore-bearing part of the capsule of a moss, between lid and seta.

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urn British  

/ ɜːn /

noun

1. a vaselike receptacle or vessel, esp a large bulbous one with a foot

2. a vase used as a receptacle for the ashes of the dead

3. a large vessel, usually of metal, with a tap, used for making and holding tea, coffee, etc

4. botany the spore-producing capsule of a moss

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Other Word Forms

• urnlike
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of urn

1325–75; Middle English urne < Latin urna earthen vessel for ashes, water, etc., akin to urceus pitcher, Greek hýrchē jar

Explanation

An urn is a large, hollow vase that's usually made of metal or clay. Some urns are used for making coffee or tea, others are made to put someone’s ashes in. Go figure. Urn is probably from the Latin word urna for "a jar or vessel," but some say it’s from another Latin word urere which means, "to burn.” While some urns are used for making hot drinks, the most common use of an urn is holding the ashes of a dead person. Most urns are decorated. “Ode to a Grecian Urn” by the Romantic poet John Keats (1820), is a poem about the figures on a classical Greek urn.

Example Sentences

A famous expression of this proposition is the finale of John Keats’s Ode on a Grecian Urn: "Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all/Ye know on Earth, and all ye need to know."

From Scientific American • Oct. 28, 2018

Fannie McClendon is the 97-year-old owner of The Glass Urn, the store next door to Farr’s location.

From Washington Times • Oct. 30, 2017

He smashed an antique Chinese pot for his photo triptych Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn; doused others in industrial paint for the exhibit Coloured Vases.

From The Guardian • Sep. 17, 2017

Urn thefts made felony to deter crime without ‘closure’

From Seattle Times • Jul. 14, 2016

The Dog Boy and Walt clubbed together and sent Urn a mixture for the distemper, which contained quinine and was absolutely priceless.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

Related Words

• container
• jar
• pot
• vase