sin eater

noun

A person (usually a man) who is supposed to take sins of a deceased person upon himself by eating a piece of bread or other food laid on or passed across the breast of the corpse.

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Meanings

nounsin eater (plural sin eaters)

plural sin eaters · alternative sin-eater

  1. historicalA person (usually a man) who is supposed to take sins of a deceased person upon himself by eating a piece of bread or other food laid on or passed across the breast of the corpse.

    A Loafe of bread was brought out, and delivered to the Sinne-eater over the corps.

    1687, John Aubrey, Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme, page 35
Cite this entry
APA

sin eater. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sin%20eater

MLA

“sin eater.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sin%20eater. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sin eater,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sin%20eater.

Source: sin eater on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.