Chrisoms

/ˈkrɪzəmz/ noun

Definition

Plural of chrisom; multiple white baptismal robes or the children who wore them.

Etymology

Regular plural of 'chrisom'. Used both for multiple white robes and, historically, for multiple baptized infants referred to as 'chrisom children'.

Kelly Says

In parish records, 'chrisom' became shorthand for infant deaths—when a baby died before the chrisomloosing ceremony, they were recorded as a 'chrisom,' a word that combined both the garment and a stage of life.

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