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Added 9 October 2026

coffin

/ˈkɒfɪn/ noun

In Latin: capulus, arca, loculus Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about coffin at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Box in which a corpse is buried or cremated.

verb

Place into a coffin.
her body was coffined

Origin

From Middle English coffyn, from Old Northern French cofin (“sarcophagus", earlier "basket, coffer”), from Latin cophinus (“basket”), a loanword from Ancient Greek κόφινος (kóphinos, “a basket”). Doublet of coffer. Displaced native Old English þrūh.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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