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cemetery vs. graveyard

cemetery vs. graveyard: What's the difference?

Cemetery and graveyard are both words for burial grounds. The two words are often used interchangeably, though graveyard is more often used for smaller plots, such as those located alongside a church. Cemetery is perhaps more commonly used due to avoiding the word grave.

cemetery

[ sem-i-ter-ee ]
noun,
  1. an area set apart for or containing graves, tombs, or funeral urns, especially one that is not a churchyard; burial ground; graveyard.

graveyard

[ greyv-yahrd ]
noun
  1. a burial ground, often associated with smaller rural churches, as distinct from a larger urban or public cemetery.
  2. graveyard shift.
  3. a place in which obsolete or derelict objects are kept: an automobile graveyard.