pallbearern.
/ˈpɔːlˌbɛːrə/, U.S. /ˈpɔlˌbɛrər/, /ˈpɑlˌbɛrər/ Originally: a person holding an edge of the pall in a funeral procession. Now: a person helping to carry or officially escorting the coffin at a funeral. Cf. pall-holder n. at pall n.1 Compounds 2.
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the world > life > death > obsequies > people involved in funeral > [noun] > pall-bearer
bearer1603
pallbearer1707
pall-holder1769
pall-supporter1904
1707 T. Hearne Remarks & Coll. (1885) 29 Sept. II. 53 Pall Bearers were Dr. Aldrich, Dr. Turner [etc.].
1786 E. Clayton in M. Delany Autobiogr. & Corr. (1862) 2nd Ser. III. 411 Lord and Lady Howard are gone to town this morning for poor Pss. Amelia's funeral. She is one of the pall-bearers.
1834 New-Eng. Mag. Feb. 149 In addition to the six persons who supported the bier..there walked, on either side of it, the three others who were selected for the office of pall-bearers.
1898 Westm. Gaz. 28 May 8/1 The pall-bearers had taken up their position.
1980 M. Thelwell Harder they come iii. 85 Maas' Nattie..was ready to give the command for the pallbearers to pick up their burden.
2014 M. Poland Keeper vi. 62 Karel Harker's fellow keepers had been his pall-bearers. No member of the family had been present.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2005; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1707