bier

Dictionary: bier (bîr) pronunciation

A stand on which a corpse or a coffin containing a corpse is placed before burial.
A coffin along with its stand: followed the bier to the cemetery.

[Alteration (influenced by French bière, coffin) of Middle English ber, from Old English bēr.]

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Archaeology Dictionary: bier

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[Ar]

A movable wooden platform on which corpses are laid, sometimes together with grave goods, and eventually carried to a burial place.

Word Tutor: bier

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IN BRIEF: A stand that holds a corpse or coffin.

There was a new made grave, and by its side the bier was rested. . . — Walt Whitman

Tutor's tip: You wouldn't want to confuse a "beer" (alcoholic drink) with a "bier" (coffin and its stand).

Wikipedia: Bier

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Pope John Paul II lying in state on his funeral bier at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

This article is about a frame to transport corpses. For other uses, see Bier (disambiguation).

A bier is a stand on which a corpse, or coffin or casket containing a corpse, is placed to lie in state or to be carried to the grave.^[1]

In Christian burial, the bier is often set up in the center of the nave with candles placed around it, and there it remains during the funeral.

A wheeled bier from Grendon church, Northamptonshire.

The bier is a flat frame, traditionally wooden but sometimes made of other materials. In antiquity it was often simply a wooden board on which the dead was placed, covered with a shroud. In modern times, however, the corpse is almost never carried on the bier without being first placed in a coffin or casket, though the coffin or casket is sometimes kept open.

A bier is often draped with cloth, to add to the dignity of the funeral service. The modern funeral industry uses a collapsible aluminum bier on wheels, known as a "church truck" to more conveniently move the coffin in and out of the church or funeral home for services.

Biers are generally substantially smaller than the coffin or casket they may hold for reasons of appearance; as a result, they are not particularly stable and can tip over unless well centered and undisturbed.

The Carmelite Priory, Mdina , Malta has a colourful Bier on display that was used to carry the Monks or Friars before they were buried without a coffin. The Carmelite Priory has recently opened its doors to the public and is one of the cheaper and more fascinating tourist attractions in the Silent City.^[2]

References

^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (American Heritage Publishing Co., Inc., New York, 1973), s.v., "bier"
^ http://stocks.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090905/local/mdina-monastery-experiences-a-revival

Look up bier in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

		Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
		Archaeology Dictionary. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology. Copyright © 2002, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. Read more
		Word Tutor. Copyright © 2004-present by eSpindle Learning, a 501(c) nonprofit organization. All rights reserved. eSpindle provides personalized spelling and vocabulary tutoring online; free trial. Read more
		Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Bier". Read more
		Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved. Read more

	Biere (family name)
	lych-stone
	nobby

bier

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