What is the difference between a headstone and a tombstone

Headstone A headstone, tombstone, or gravestone is a stele or marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. Tombstone verb To replace an object or data with a tombstone marker. Tombstone noun A stone erected over a grave, to preserve the memory of the deceased. Tombstone noun a stone that is used to mark a grave. Headstone Illustrations.

Popular Comparisons. Adress vs. Comming vs. Label vs. Genius vs. Speech vs. Chief vs. Teat vs. Neice vs. Buisness vs. Beeing vs. Amature vs. Lieing vs. Preferred vs. You often see mummies, witches, skeletons, spiders, jack-o-lanterns, black cats, cobwebs, ghosts, and tombstones. Or are they headstones? Or gravestones? Is there a difference? Does it even matter? The words tombstone and gravestone used to refer to large stone slabs that served as a lid for a tomb or covering for a grave.

They might have had engravings on them, but their purpose was to secure a deceased body in a tomb or in the ground. A headstone , as the word implies, referred to a grave marker placed at the head of a grave. It's the newest of the three words, arising in , according to the Oxford English Dictionary. Today, the words tombstone , gravestone , and headstone are often used interchangeably to refer to stone grave markers of any size or style.

Regardless of which term you use, all three words refer to something made of stone that marks where someone is or will be buried. Sometimes cemeteries have grave markers showing where people who are still alive will be buried someday, but most grave markers indicate where someone has already been buried.

Cornerstones also provided a reference point for every other stone used in the foundation of the building. Over time, the definition of headstone evolved. Instead of referring to a cornerstone, it came to be associated with a grave marker. This development makes sense. In its original usage, a headstone featured important information about a building. In its later usage, it featured important information about a person buried in a grave.

But it can still be difficult to remember the subtle variations between them. Here, we use the definitions of each word in simple sentences. These sentences sum up the original definitions of each word and also contextualize their modern usages. The word headstone was once a synonym for cornerstone. Currently, it is used to describe an upright stone at the head of a grave. Burial headstones are upright granite monuments for the same identification purpose.

There are many different styles and types of gravestones and markers available, with different design and personalization options and different average costs of each. The stone form of a tombstone "the term is used synonymously with gravestone and tombstone" burial monument is typically what we imagine when envisioning a cemetery resting place.

Undoubtedly the most common type of burial monument used, the upright headstone is a simple stone placed at the head of the grave. While these types of markers can certainly be simple, there are many different options and designs available in multiple shapes, sizes, and level of complexity and elegance. This form of identification is a proud and dignified way to demonstrate that the deceased was loved and continues to be remembered.

The memorial headstone can be personalized in terms of shape, size, and inscription. The messaging typically inscribed on a burial monument includes:. A variation on the upright headstone, but with the front of the headstone featuring a dramatic slant. These tall stone pillars actually originated in Ancient Egypt. While they are much less common than a traditional upright monument, obseliks are sometimes used to memorialize those who pass in a striking and spectacular way.

Since the design of an upright gravestone can vary greatly, so can the price. A flat, lawn grave marker is an elegant way to memorialize the deceased.