Definition

Noun: - A burial ground for unknown, unclaimed, or indigent persons: A "potter's field" is a public plot of land used for the interment of people whose identities are unknown, who have no next of kin to claim them, or who lack the financial means for a private burial.

Usage

• The term is used specifically to refer to a cemetery or section of a cemetery designated for this purpose.
• It often carries historical and somber connotations, associated with charity and communal responsibility for the destitute.

Examples

Advanced Usage

• The concept originates from the Bible (Matthew 27:7), referring to a field purchased by the priests with the silver Judas returned, to be used as a burial place for strangers.
• In modern administrative and legal contexts, "potter's field" may be the official term in municipal codes for such burial grounds.

Variants and Related Words

• Pauper's grave: A very close synonym, emphasizing the poverty of the deceased.
• Common grave: A grave for multiple, often unidentified, individuals.
• Boot Hill: A colloquial term, primarily in the American Old West, for a cemetery where outlaws or paupers were buried (context-specific, not a direct synonym).

Synonyms

• Pauper's cemetery
• Public burial ground (for the indigent)

Notes on Meaning

• The term is specific and not used metaphorically for other types of anonymous or neglected places. Its use is almost exclusively in the context of burial.
• It distinguishes itself from a standard public cemetery by its specific charitable or municipal function for the unclaimed and indigent.

Noun

1. a cemetery for unknown or indigent people