death door

noun

a door to the outside from the parlor or hall to allow for the movement of the dead; from the time when the wealthy would host their wakes and funerals in their own homes. It is a supplementary door to the main doors of the home, unconnected from exterior stairs or walkways. The death door existed to allow for the dead to move through doors without needing to use the doorways used by the living.

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Meanings

noundeath door (plural death doors)

plural death doors

  1. USarchitecturea door to the outside from the parlor or hall to allow for the movement of the dead; from the time when the wealthy would host their wakes and funerals in their own homes. It is a supplementary door to the main doors of the home, unconnected from exterior stairs or walkways. The death door existed to allow for the dead to move through doors without needing to use the doorways used by the living.

Origin

From death + door from being a door used for the dead.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

death door. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/death%20door

MLA

“death door.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/death%20door. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “death door,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/death%20door.

Source: death door on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.