Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Nearby Words

hearselike

 - 2 dictionary results

hearse

  [hurs]
Use hearselike in a Sentence
–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.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME herse < MF herce a harrow < L hirpicem, acc. of hirpex

Related forms:
hearselike, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To hearselike
Word Origin & History

hearse 
1291 (in Anglo-Latin), "flat framework for candles, hung over a coffin," from O.Fr. herce "long rake, harrow," from M.L. hercia, from L. hirpicem (nom. hirpex) "harrow," from Oscan hirpus "wolf," supposedly in allusion to its teeth. The Oscan word may be related to L. hirsutus "shaggy, bristly." So called because it resembled a harrow, a large rake for breaking up soil. Sense extended to other temporary frameworks built over dead people, then to "vehicle for carrying a body," a sense first recorded 1650.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see hearselike on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way