In the past, church graveyards were where most burials took place. As the population increased, church graveyards got full and independent sites called cemeteries sprung up.
These typically have no religious stipulations and so people of all faiths can be buried there. They also have fewer restrictions for headstones.
Origin
The word graveyard means a large area set aside for the burial of people. It is often used interchangeably with the term churchyard, although a cemetery is usually unaffiliated with a particular faith.
Until about the 7th century, churches had control over where people were buried. The wealthy were often buried inside the church in crypts, and less-wealthy congregants were buried in the churchyard.
As the population grew, these church-affiliated burial grounds started to fill up and were not sustainable. As a result, completely new burial sites began to appear that were not affiliated with any church. These became known as cemeteries, and they differed from churchyards in that they were secular and allowed members of all religions to be buried there. This is also when the term gravedigger was coined for someone who works in a cemetery. It’s interesting to see how language evolves over time.
Meaning
Graveyard is the location where a dead person’s body is interred. A tombstone is then placed over the grave to mark their resting place. This location can also be referred to as a cemetery or a churchyard.
A graveyard can be a very serene place, especially if it is historic or if it is the burial ground of a famous figure or politician. Some people enjoy visiting graveyards to pay their respects and reflect on their lives. Others may find it spooky or disturbing.
Many cultures believe that taking pictures of graves is bad luck, but this superstition isn’t always grounded in reality. Despite this belief, people continue to use photos of graves and tombstones to commemorate their loved ones.
Examples
Although it’s common to use the words graveyard and cemetery interchangeably today, there is some linguistic precision that can be gained by using the terms with greater specificity. Graveyards are still used for burial grounds on church property, whereas cemeteries have no religious affiliation and are usually more modern and spacious than their church-affiliated counterparts.
In the past, people who were wealthy or had a high status in society were buried close to their place of worship in a graveyard or churchyard. They were often buried in individual crypts with a plaque showing their name, date of death and other biographical data or a depiction of their coat of arms.
Nowadays, most people are buried in public or private cemeteries instead of in churchyards. These burial grounds typically have a more uniform appearance and are more regulated in their rules and regulations. Many war graves, for instance, are marked with a small timber remembrance cross and have a poppy wreath placed on them at more formal occasions.
Etymology
A graveyard is a yard or area of land where bodies are buried. It is usually located next to a church. The term graveyard is often used interchangeably with cemetery, although a difference in etymology exists. If you’re trying to be linguistically accurate, it’s better to use graveyard when referring to burial locations on church grounds and cemetery for more modern, independent burial sites that do not have any religious affiliations.
During the Middle Ages, people of wealth or high social status were often interred inside their place of worship in a crypt or buried in a grave outside. The graves of the poor or less wealthy congregants were located in the churchyard.
The phrase graveyard shift refers to the hours of late night or early morning when all is quiet and seems eerie, as if the dead are walking around. It is a time of great vulnerability. Many graveyard shifts can be very dangerous.