casket

American  

[kas-kit, kah-skit] / ˈkæs kɪt, ˈkɑ skɪt /

noun

1. a coffin.

2. a small chest or box, as for jewels.

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verb (used with object)

1. to put or enclose in a casket.

casket British  

/ ˈkɑːskɪt /

noun

1. a small box or chest for valuables, esp jewels

2. another name for coffin

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Other Word Forms

• casketlike adjective
• uncasketed adjective

Etymology

Origin of casket

1425–75; late Middle English < ?

Explanation

A casket is a coffin, or a box in which the body of a dead person is buried. Some funeral traditions include a chance for mourners to see the deceased in the casket before burial. Most caskets are made of wood — some plain, and others more ornamental. Many caskets are buried in cemeteries, although others are cremated, or burned to ash, depending on religious and personal preferences. You can also use the word casket to mean "small box," particularly a box for jewelry or other precious items, and this is the word's earliest meaning, from the Old French cassette, a diminutive form of case.

Example Sentences

After nine days in the capital, they returned to Savannah on a large Airbus jet carrying Sam’s casket, accompanied by more than a dozen PSA pilots.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026

He was three years old when a photographer captured him saluting his father’s casket, and for many years, that was how most of America pictured him.

From Salon • Feb. 12, 2026

When doctors gave her the news, Charmaine says she felt like her little girl had already been placed in a casket.

From BBC • Jan. 24, 2026

“When I looked at him in the casket, I was like, ‘Wait a second.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 14, 2025

After the priest sprinkled holy water over Anna’s casket, Mollie guided her family and the other mourners to a cemetery in Gray Horse, a quiet, isolated spot overlooking the endless prairie.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann