Word
hearse
US/ˈhɝs/
UK/hˈɜːs/
Definitions
01funeral vehicle
n. a long car that carries a dead person in a coffin to their funeral.
n. a vehicle, typically a modified luxury car or van, used for conveying a coffin at a funeral.
“The black hearse led the long line of cars to the cemetery.”
“A vintage horse-drawn hearse was used for the procession to honor the local historian's love for the nineteenth century.”
Synonyms
02tomb or coffin
n. a very old word for a grave, a coffin, or a monument for a dead person.
n. a grave, coffin, or sepulchral monument.
“The poet wrote about the cold stone hearse where the king lay.”
“In the epic poem, the hero's hearse was adorned with the shields of his fallen enemies.”
Archaic · Literary
Synonyms
03to entomb
v. to put someone in a tomb or a hearse.
v. to enclose in a hearse or to entomb a deceased person.
“The ancient scrolls describe how the pharaoh was hearsed in gold.”
“The fallen soldiers were solemnly hearsed before the final march to the national monument.”
Archaic · Formal
Synonyms
Antonyms
Real-World Examples
“Photograph: Dimitris Legakis/EPA Fans threw flowers on to the hearse, and the crowd erupted into applause and broke out into a rendition of Total Eclipse of the Heart.” “The hearse is due to depart at approximately 3.15pm, travelling along Newton Road before continuing onto Mumbles Road.” Etymology
From Middle English herse, hers, herce, from Old French herce, from Medieval Latin hercia, from Latin herpicem, hirpex; ultimately from Oscan 𐌇𐌉𐌓𐌐𐌖𐌔 (hirpus, “wolf”), a reference to the teeth, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰers- (“stiff, rigid, bristled”). The Oscan term is related to Latin hīrsūtus (“bristly, shaggy”), whence English hirsute. Doublet of herse (“kind of gate”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/hearse