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coffinless

coffinless

1 7.3
A burial where people do not put the body in a coffin
  • adjective
  • /ˈkɔfɪnləs/
  • Archaic
: sin ataúd
  • In the open field, the victims were laid coffinless during the memorial service.

Examples

  • The ancient warriors were buried coffinless, as was their tradition.

  • The coffins vanished, and we, the congregated souls of the V.A. geriatric ward, lay coffinless.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • The museum exhibit featured a display of coffinless burials from ancient cultures.

Synonyms

uncoffined
vscoffinless
1 9.9

A dead body that is not placed in a coffin before burial

is used more broadly to mean not having a coffin in any situation

Antonyms

1 8.4

A dead person placed in a coffin before burial

Surface Forms

coffinless positive

Morphology

coffinless = coffin (transparent) = coffin + less

Form and meaning are directly derived from 'coffin' + the productive suffix '-less' meaning 'without'.

Etymology

The word coffinless is made from coffin and the ending -less, where coffin is a 'box for a dead body' and -less means 'without'. So coffinless simply describes someone or something buried 'without a coffin'.