Meaning & use
pall bearing
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountable
The act of carrying or escorting a coffin at a funeral, or the duty of doing this.
Grammar: Used as an uncountable noun for the activity: Pall bearing is an honor. Do not say 'a pall bearing'.
Patterns
- pall bearing at a funeral
- the pall bearing duty
At his grandfather's funeral, he was asked to take part in the pall bearing.
Pall bearing is considered a mark of respect in many cultures.
The family chose six close friends for the pall bearing.
Common combinations
- pall bearing duty
- The soldiers took on the pall bearing duty with great solemnity.
- take part in the pall bearing
- Several cousins took part in the pall bearing.
- pall bearing at the funeral
- Pall bearing at the funeral was arranged by the funeral director.
Synonyms and how they differ
- coffin carrying
- A more descriptive phrase; it is not a fixed term and can refer to any carrying of a coffin, not just the ceremonial role.
Word family
- pallbearer noun
- A person who helps carry the coffin at a funeral.
- pall noun
- A heavy cloth spread over a coffin, or a dark cloud that covers something.
Commonly confused: pall bearing or pallbearer?
pall bearing vs pallbearer
A pallbearer is the person; pall bearing is the activity. You attend the pall bearing, but you are a pallbearer.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'pall bearing' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Pall bearing is an uncountable noun for the activity, so 'took part in the pall bearing' is correct. Option An is wrong because a person is a pallbearer, not 'a pall bearing'. Option C uses it as a verb, which it is not. Option D treats it as a person, which is also wrong.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pall bearing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.