lych

A medieval knight's lych lies in state upon a stone bier.

Definition

Noun: - A corpse: In archaic or historical usage, "lych" refers to a dead body, especially one that is prepared for burial or lying in state. It is an old English term, now largely obsolete, but preserved in specific compound words and place names.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The villagers carried the lych to the churchyard for the funeral. (The dead body was transported for burial.)
  • In medieval times, a lych was often kept in the home until the day of the burial. (A corpse was stored at home before interment.)

Advanced Usage

• "lych-gate": a roofed gateway at the entrance to a churchyard, traditionally used for sheltering a coffin during a funeral procession.
  • The mourners paused under the lych-gate before entering the church. (They stopped at the covered gateway.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lyke (n): an alternative spelling of "lych," meaning the same (a corpse).

  • The old poem speaks of the lyke lying cold in the grave. (The dead body is cold in the tomb.)

• Lych-owl (n): an archaic term for a screech owl, believed to be an omen of death.

  • The cry of the lych-owl was thought to foretell a passing. (The owl's call was a death omen.)

Synonyms

• Corpse: a dead body, especially of a human.
• Carcass: the dead body of an animal, sometimes used for a human in derogatory or clinical contexts.
• Remains: the physical body after death, often used in formal or respectful contexts.

Related Idioms

• "lych and bone": an archaic phrase meaning the mortal remains of a person.
  • He left nothing but lych and bone behind. (Only his dead body remained.)