Meaning & use
burial shroud
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A piece of cloth used to wrap a dead body before burial.
Grammar: Countable: use 'a' or plural 'shrouds'. Often preceded by 'a' or 'the'.
Patterns
- a burial shroud
- wrap someone in a burial shroud
In some religions, the dead are wrapped in a simple burial shroud.
The museum displayed a burial shroud from ancient Egypt.
She asked to be buried in a plain burial shroud.
Word forms
| plural | burial shrouds |
|---|
Common combinations
- wrap in a burial shroud
- The body was wrapped in a white burial shroud.
- simple burial shroud
- He wanted a simple burial shroud, not an expensive coffin.
- white burial shroud
- The custom is to use a white burial shroud.
- wear a burial shroud
- In the play, the ghost wore a burial shroud.
Synonyms and how they differ
- shroud
- Shroud alone can mean the same, but it also means a cover or a set of ropes on a ship; burial shroud is more specific.
- winding sheet
- An old-fashioned term for a burial shroud; now rare except in historical texts.
Word family
Commonly confused: burial shroud or pall? burial shroud or veil?
burial shroud vs pall
A pall is a cloth spread over a coffin, not wrapped around the body. A burial shroud is wrapped around the body itself.
burial shroud vs veil
A veil is a piece of cloth worn to cover the face or head, not used for wrapping a dead body.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'burial shroud' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A burial shroud is specifically for wrapping a dead body before burial, so it fits the context of a body being wrapped. The other options use it for a bride, a table, or decoration, which are not its normal use.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “burial shroud”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.