Burial Meaning
/ˈbɛɹi.əl/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe act of burying; interment; placing remains into the earth.
Sentence Examples
The Takamatsuzuka burial mound is located in Asukamura, Nara prefecture.
Why do Muslims place such importance on burial?
CEFR Practice Quiz
The family planned a quiet ____ ceremony in the old cemetery.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The traditional ____ ceremony took place at the quiet cemetery today.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English biriel, a backformation from biriels, which was re-interpreted as a plural, itself from from Old English byrġels, from byrġan (“to bury”) + -els. By surface analysis, bury + -al, but originally unrelated to this suffix.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"A dreary year for the Squadron, this 1819, when officers and men fell sick by the shipload and were sent home by the tenderful, when Lemon Valley Hospital was supplemented by the one at High Peak, when Court-Martials were held at the rate of one a fortnight, burials thrice a week, and surveys on foul provisions every other day!"
— 1912, George Leo de St. M. Watson, Sir Robert Thomas Wilson, A Polish Exile with Napoleon, page 276:
"However, many Cromlechs and Dolmins are carelessly called "Druid's circles", when in reality they were the burial places of ancient chieftains and their households[.]"
— 1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 206:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The family planned a quiet ____ ceremony in the old cemetery.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The traditional ____ ceremony took place at the quiet cemetery today.