churchyard
/'tʃə:tʃ'jɑ:d/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- The ground surrounding a church, especially when used as a burial ground: A "churchyard" is the enclosed land or yard belonging to and adjacent to a church. Historically and commonly, this area contains graves and serves as a cemetery for the parish.
Examples of Usage
- Noun:
- The old oak tree in the churchyard has stood for centuries.
- Many historical figures are buried in the churchyard of the cathedral.
- The children were playing quietly among the gravestones in the churchyard.
Advanced Usage
- "Churchyard cough": An old-fashioned term for a severe, hacking cough thought to be so bad it could be fatal or indicative of serious illness.
- The doctor, hearing the patient's deep, rattling breath, muttered about a churchyard cough.
- "Far churchyard": A poetic or archaic phrase referring to a place where many people are buried, often implying mortality or the passage of time.
- The plague left the village with a far churchyard.
Variants and Related Words
- Graveyard (n): A burial ground, typically not necessarily adjoining a church. (Synonym in the context of a cemetery).
- Cemetery (n): A large burial ground, especially one not in a churchyard.
- Burying-ground (n): Another term for a burial site.
Synonyms
- Burial ground: A general term for an area of land for burying the dead.
- God's acre: A poetic or archaic term for a churchyard or cemetery.
Related Phrases
- To be in the churchyard: A euphemism meaning to be dead and buried.
- Poor old John has been in the churchyard these ten years.
- Churchyard yew: Refers to yew trees, which are commonly planted in churchyards and are symbols of immortality and death.
- The churchyard yew was a familiar sight in many English villages.
Noun
- the yard associated with a church