lych-gate

See also: lychgate

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From lich (“corpse”) +‎ gate.

Noun

lych-gate (plural lych-gates)

  1. A churchyard gateway with a roof, under which a corpse was laid during a funeral to await the arrival of the clergyman.
    • 1851, Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell, The Moorland Cottage‎, HTML edition, Project Gutenburg, published 2004:
      If you take the turn to the left, after you pass the lyke-gate at Combehurst Church, …
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