gravedigger

[ greyv-dig-er ]

noun

1. a person whose occupation is digging graves.
2. burying beetle.

Word History and Origins

Origin of gravedigger¹

First recorded in 1585–95; grave ¹ + digger

Example Sentences

"A gravedigger had to come over and use water from his lunch to clean the gravestone before we could rebury him."

From BBC

Later, with help from a local gravedigger, she spent years cutting the grass, placing flowers on the graves and keeping the cemetery tidy.

From BBC

Then came a play that Bond called “The Gravedigger,” the latest example of what Alabama coach Nick Saban called the “weird stuff” his teams have experienced at Jordan-Hare.

From Seattle Times

Bartlett also cited an assistant gravedigger who recounted this gory tale: "One day I was trying the length of a grave to see if it was long and wide enough, and while I was there the ground gave way, and a body turned right over, and the two arms came and clasped me round the neck".

From BBC

The targets of his search included a highway grass cutter, a gravedigger and a janitor, all of whose musical talents were at the time basically unknown.

From New York Times