Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

death door

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.91 in modern English

Syllables
death -door
IPA
14
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

a door to the outside from the parlor or hall to allow for the movement of the dead; from the time when the wealthy would host their wakes and funerals in their own homes. It is a supplementary door to the main doors of the home, unconnected from exterior stairs or walkways. The death door existed to allow for the dead to move through doors without needing to use the doorways used by the living.

American usage

Etymology

From death + door from being a door used for the dead.

Usage

Inflected Forms

death doors (plural)

Frequently Paired Words

funeral door

Questions

What does death door mean?
a door to the outside from the parlor or hall to allow for the movement of the dead; from the time when the wealthy would host their wakes and funerals in their own homes. It is a supplementary door to the main doors of the home, unconnected from exterior stairs or walkways. The death door existed to allow for the dead to move through doors without needing to use the doorways used by the living.
Where does death door come from?
From death + door from being a door used for the dead.

How to pronounce death door

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “death door”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “death door”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “death door” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.