Gravedigger

/ˈɡreɪvˌdɪɡər/ noun

Definition

A person whose job is to dig graves and prepare burial sites in cemeteries.

Etymology

Compound of 'grave' (a burial place, from Old English 'græf') + 'digger' (one who digs). It's a literal occupational word that's been in use since medieval times.

Kelly Says

Gravediggers appear as important characters in Shakespeare—like the clown in Hamlet—because they were seen as wise figures who handled death daily. In many cultures, gravediggers held special social status as people who worked with the sacred.

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