interment

IPA/ɪnˈtɜːmənt/
IPA/ɪnˈtɜːrmənt/

interment — noun

  • intermentsingular
  • intermentsplural

1. the act or ceremony of placing a dead person in a grave or tomb, usually with fo

1.nounC1
Definition

the act or ceremony of placing a dead person in a grave or tomb, usually with formal rites

Example

After the funeral service, the interment took place at the old hillside cemetery.

collocation: interment took place at [location]

Priya's family gathered at the graveside for the interment of her grandmother.

pattern: the interment of [person]

Common collocations
  • interment ceremony
  • interment site
  • interment took place
  • interment of [person]
  • private interment
  • interment at sea
Synonyms
  • burial

    the common, everyday word; interment is its formal equivalent

  • entombment

    specifically placing a body in a tomb or vault, often above ground

  • inhumation

    a technical term used mainly in archaeology and legal contexts

Antonyms
  • exhumation

    the act of digging up a buried body

  • cremation

    reducing a body to ashes by fire instead of burying it

Usage Note

More formal than burial; typical in legal, official, and ceremonial contexts rather than everyday speech.

Common Mistakes

The interment was held at the church.
The funeral was held at the church; the interment took place at the cemetery.
interment refers specifically to the burial itself, not the entire funeral service.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Burial is the everyday word for putting a dead body into the ground and covering it with earth. Interment is its formal equivalent, appearing in obituaries, legal documents, and official announcements — you would say burial when talking to a friend, but read interment on a cemetery notice. Entombment is narrower: it means placing the body in a tomb or vault, often above ground, as in a mausoleum. Inhumation is a technical archaeological term rarely used outside academic writing. For daily speech, stick with burial; for formal occasions, interment is the right choice.

burial ↗entombmentinhumation ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • interment ceremony
  • interment service
  • interment site
  • interment plot

Phrases

  • private interment
  • interment took place
  • interment at sea

Prepositions

  • interment at
  • interment in
  • interment of

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Interment comes from the Latin word terra, meaning 'earth' or 'ground.' The prefix in- ('into') was combined with terra to form the verb interrare — 'to put into the earth.' This passed into English through French as the verb inter, and interment became the noun for the act of burying.