Meanings
plural deathboxes · alternative death-box · alternative death box
- nonstandardkenningcoffin
The local militia, led by their 'jack captain, paid their respects by carrying the death-box and by escorting it.
2011, Ian Watson, The Book of the Stars: Black Current, book 23 more examples
Once he was asleep again, they brought him back again, bound him, sealed him in his deathbox, muffled the World from him with a black, black pall.
2002, William T. Vollmann, Argall: The True Story of Pocahontas and Captain John SmithI always remember hearing infantry men say to us again and again: 'I wouldn't like to go in your deathboxes,' and we always answered: 'And we don't like to walk.'”
2003, Philip Kaplan, Chariots of FireRazor's mother hollered and spread her body atop her son's shiny death box. “Why, Lord? Why my chile?!” the woman screamed.
2011, Amaleka McCall, Hard Candy
Origin
From death + box. Compare Dutch doodskist (literally “death-chest”).
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
deathbox. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/deathbox
“deathbox.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/deathbox. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “deathbox,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/deathbox.
Source: deathbox on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.