Definition

Noun: A human skull, or a representation of one, used as a symbol or emblem of death, mortality, or danger.

Usage

The term "death's head" is used to describe an actual human skull or, more commonly, a stylized image or carving of a skull. It functions as a potent and traditional symbol. * It is often found on historical tombstones, in memento mori art, on pirate flags (Jolly Roger), or as an insignia on military uniforms to denote units specializing in hazardous duties. * The term is typically used in a descriptive or symbolic context, not as a casual reference to a skeleton.

Examples

• The ancient tomb was carved with a stark death's head above the epitaph.
• The pirate flag, featuring a white death's head on a black field, struck fear into the crews of merchant vessels.
• The ring bore the intricate engraving of a death's head with crossed bones beneath it.

Advanced Usage

• "Death's-head moth": A specific type of large hawk moth ( species) that has markings on its thorax resembling a human skull.
  • The death's-head moth is often associated with ill omens in European folklore.

Variants and Related Words

• Death's-head hawkmoth: The full common name for the insect noted above.
• Skull: The general term for the bony structure of the head. "Death's head" implies a symbolic or emblematic use, whereas "skull" is the anatomical term.
• Memento mori: (Latin phrase) An artistic or symbolic reminder of the inevitability of death, of which the death's head is a common element.

Synonyms

• Skull (when used symbolically)
• Mortuary symbol
• emblem

Related Idioms & Phrases

• Grin like a death's head: To smile in a wide, grim, or unnerving way that reveals the teeth, reminiscent of a skull's grin.
  • The old portrait showed the subject grinning like a death's head.

Noun

1. a human skull (or a representation of a human skull) used as a symbol of death