Meanings
hearse1
plural hearses · alternative herse
- A grave, coffin, tomb, or sepulchral monument.
underneath this sable hearse
1621, Ben Jonson, Epitath to Mary Herbert2 more examples
Beside the hearse a fruitful palm tree grows,
1600, [Torquato Tasso], “The Third Booke of Godfrey of Bulloigne”, in Edward Fairefax [i.e., Edward Fairfax], transl., Godfrey of Bulloigne, or The Recouerie of Ierusalem. […], London: […] Ar[nold] Hatfield, for I[saac] Iaggard and M[atthew] Lownes, →OCLCwho lies beneath this sculptured hearse
1882, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, To the Avon - A bier or handbarrow for conveying the dead to the grave.
Set down, set down your honourable load, / If honour may be shrouded in a hearse.
c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]
present singular third person hearses · participle present hearsing · participle past hearsed · past hearsed · alternative herse
- datedTo enclose in a hearse; to entomb.
I would my daughter were dead at my foot, and the jewels in her ear! would she were hearsed at my foot, and the ducats in her coffin!
c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]
hearse2
Origin
- Medieval Latinhercia
- Proto-Indo-European*ǵʰers-“stiff, rigid, bristled”
- Oscanhirpus“wolf”
- Latin*herpicem
- Old Frenchherce
- Middle Englishherse
- Englishhearse
From Middle English herse, hers, herce, from Old French herce in the sense "triangular framework used to support candles". Ultimately the same word as Old French herce (“harrow”), from Latin *herpicem, accusative singular of *herpex, a variant form of hirpex (“harrow”). The agricultural device's name comes from Oscan hirpus (“wolf”), a reference to a harrow's many teeth. The term for wolf may ultimately be from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰers- (“stiff, rigid, bristled”). The Oscan term is related to Latin hīrsūtus (“bristly, shaggy”), whence English hirsute. The TLFi considers the "framework to support candles" sense of the French word to be derived more specifically from Medieval Latin hercia; in any case, this is ultimately from the same source. (Du Cange sees in hercia a contraction of an extended form *herpicia. It may instead simply be a Latinization of Old French herce.) Doublet of herse (“kind of gate”).
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic سَيَّارة نَقْل مَوْتَى, عَرَبة نَقْل مَوْتَى
- سَيَّارة نَقْل مَوْتَى (sayyāra naql mawtā)vehicle for transporting dead
- عَرَبة نَقْل مَوْتَى (ʕaraba naql mawtā)vehicle for transporting dead
Bulgarian гроб, катафа́лка
- гроб (grob)grave, coffin, tomb
- катафа́лка (katafálka)bier or handbarrow for carrying the dead
- катафа́лка (katafálka)vehicle for transporting dead
Catalan baldaquí, cadafal
- baldaquíframework placed over coffin or tomb
- cadafalframework placed over coffin or tomb
Chinese Cantonese 靈車 /灵车
- 靈車 /灵车 (ling⁴ ce¹)vehicle for transporting dead
Chinese Mandarin 柩車 /柩车, 殯車 /殡车
- 柩車 /柩车 (jiùchē)vehicle for transporting dead
- 殯車 /殡车 (bìnchē)vehicle for transporting dead
- 靈車 /灵车 (língchē)vehicle for transporting dead
- 靈柩車 /灵柩车 (língjiù chē)vehicle for transporting dead
Czech máry, pohřební vůz
- márybier or handbarrow for carrying the dead
- pohřební vůzvehicle for transporting dead
- katafalkframework placed over coffin or tomb
Danish ligvogn, rustvogn
- ligvognvehicle for transporting dead
- rustvognvehicle for transporting dead
Dutch graf, lijkkist
- grafgrave, coffin, tomb
- lijkkistgrave, coffin, tomb
- graftombegrave, coffin, tomb
- katafalkbier or handbarrow for carrying the dead
- lijkwagenvehicle for transporting dead
- rouwkoetsvehicle for transporting dead
- baldakijnframework placed over coffin or tomb
- overhuivingframework placed over coffin or tomb
- tweejarige hindehind on her second year
Esperanto ĉerkveturilo
- ĉerkveturilovehicle for transporting dead
Finnish ruumispaarit, ruumisauto
- ruumispaaritbier or handbarrow for carrying the dead
- ruumisautovehicle for transporting dead
- ruumisvaunutvehicle for transporting dead
- vuonelohind on her second year
French tombe, cercueil
- tombegrave, coffin, tomb
- cercueilgrave, coffin, tomb
- corbillardvehicle for transporting dead
- baldaquinframework placed over coffin or tomb
German Leichenwagen
- Leichenwagenvehicle for transporting dead
Greek νεκροφόρα
- νεκροφόρα (nekrofóra)vehicle for transporting dead
Hungarian halottaskocsi
- halottaskocsivehicle for transporting dead
Icelandic líkbíll
- líkbíllvehicle for transporting dead
Irish eileatram, eileatram
- eileatrambier or handbarrow for carrying the dead
- eileatramvehicle for transporting dead
- marbhchóistevehicle for transporting dead
- cóiste marbhvehicle for transporting dead
Italian cataletto, carro funebre
- catalettobier or handbarrow for carrying the dead
- carro funebrevehicle for transporting dead
- baldacchinoframework placed over coffin or tomb
- catafalcoframework placed over coffin or tomb
- cerbiattahind on her second year
- cervahind on her second year
Japanese 霊柩車, 柩車
- 霊柩車 (reikyūsha)vehicle for transporting dead
- 柩車 (kyūsha)vehicle for transporting dead
Korean 영구차, 령구차
- 영구차 (yeonggucha)vehicle for transporting dead
- 령구차 (ryeonggucha)vehicle for transporting dead
Latvian katafalks
- katafalksvehicle for transporting dead
Lithuanian katafalkas
- katafalkasvehicle for transporting dead
Malay van jenazah
- van jenazahvehicle for transporting dead
Māori waka tūpāpaku
- waka tūpāpakuvehicle for transporting dead
Norwegian Bokmål likvogn, likbil
- likvognbier or handbarrow for carrying the dead
- likbilvehicle for transporting dead
- begravelsesbilvehicle for transporting dead
Polish karawan
- karawanvehicle for transporting dead
Portuguese rabecão, carro fúnebre
- rabecãovehicle for transporting dead
- carro fúnebrevehicle for transporting dead
Romanian dric
- dricvehicle for transporting dead
Russian моги́ла, гроб
- моги́ла (mogíla)grave, coffin, tomb
- гроб (grob)grave, coffin, tomb
- гробни́ца (grobníca)grave, coffin, tomb
- катафа́лк (katafálk)bier or handbarrow for carrying the dead
- дро́ги (drógi)bier or handbarrow for carrying the dead
- катафа́лк (katafálk)vehicle for transporting dead
- дро́ги (drógi)vehicle for transporting dead
- балдахи́н (baldaxín)framework placed over coffin or tomb
Slovak pohrebný voz
- pohrebný vozvehicle for transporting dead
Spanish coche fúnebre, carroza
- coche fúnebrevehicle for transporting dead
- carrozavehicle for transporting dead
Swedish likbil, bårbil
- likbilvehicle for transporting dead
- bårbilvehicle for transporting dead
- likvagnvehicle for transporting dead
Turkish cenaze arabası
- cenaze arabasıvehicle for transporting dead
Ukrainian катафа́лк, катафа́лк
- катафа́лк (katafálk)bier or handbarrow for carrying the dead
- катафа́лк (katafálk)vehicle for transporting dead
- балдахі́н (baldaxín)framework placed over coffin or tomb
Vietnamese xe tang, xe hòm
- xe tangvehicle for transporting dead
- xe hòmvehicle for transporting dead
Welsh elor, hers
- elorbier or handbarrow for carrying the dead
- hersvehicle for transporting dead
- elor-gerbydvehicle for transporting dead
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with hearse
Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
hearse. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hearse
“hearse.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hearse. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hearse,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hearse.
Source: hearse on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.