n.
Pronunciation: ' h ə rs
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English herse, from Anglo-French herce harrow, frame for holding candles, from Latin hirpic-, hirpex harrow
Date: 14th century
1 a : an elaborate framework erected over a coffin or tomb to which memorial verses or epitaphs are attached b : a triangular candelabra for 15 candles used especially at Tenebrae
2 a archaic : COFFIN b obsolete : BIER 2
3 : a vehicle for conveying the dead to the grave