headstone

[ hed-stohn ]

noun

1. a stone marker set at the head heads of a grave; gravestone.

headstone

/ ˈhɛdˌstəʊn /

noun

1. a memorial stone at the head of a grave
2. architect another name for keystone

Word History and Origins

Origin of headstone¹

First recorded in 1525–35; head + stone

Example Sentences

The teenagers are just a few years younger than the pilots, navigators, air gunners, and wireless operators whose names and ages are recorded on the headstones.

From BBC

A fatal accident inquiry into his death heard that up to 900 headstones at Craigton were deemed unsafe in the days after the tragedy.

From BBC

Over the next two years, Black and the council worked together to pinpoint where Logan was buried and agreed for a suitable headstone to be placed to commemorate him.

From BBC

The inscription on her headstone had become so illegible that, prompted by a local campaign, masonry restorers were brought in to spruce it up.

From BBC

“It’s not a number, not a headstone,” she told me.

From Salon

Related Words

• marker
• monument
• tombstone