Cirement

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An archaic term for a waxed linen cloth or shroud once used to wrap a dead body for burial
2. A wrapping of waxed cloth, formerly placed around a corpse before it was laid in the grave
3. Obsolete word for the waxed winding sheet that was once wound tightly around a dead person

Etymology: Before the word named a burial cloth, the Latin "cera" simply meant wax, and the shroud took its name from the treatment it received. Wrapping a body in cloth soaked or coated in wax was meant to slow decay and keep the body's smell contained, and "cerement" describes that waxed linen. The word comes from the Latin verb "cerare," meaning to wax or smear with wax, which in turn derives from "cera." English also has "cerecloth," a close relative for the same kind of waxed fabric. The forms and the exact route into English are uncertain from the available information, but the core link to wax is secure.

Synonyms: cerement, shroud, winding sheet