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mortcloth

noun mort·cloth \ ˈmȯrtˌklȯth \

Definition of mortcloth

1 chiefly Scottish : a funeral pall
  • let the bedclothes, for a mortcloth, drop into great laps and folds of sculptor's work
  • —Robert Browning
2 Scottish : money paid for the use of a pall

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Origin and Etymology of mortcloth

obsolete English mort death (from Middle French, from Latin mort-, mors) + English cloth

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