Coffin facts for kids
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A coffin (also known as a casket) is a special box used to hold the body of a person who has died. People use them for burial (when a body is placed in the ground) or after cremation (when a body is burned).
The word 'coffin' comes from an old Greek word, kophinos, which meant 'a basket'. In the English language, this word wasn't used to describe a funeral box until the 1500s.
What is a Coffin?
A coffin is essentially any box used to bury someone who has passed away. It helps to protect the body and provides a way to transport it respectfully.
Coffin vs. Casket: What's the Difference?
Even though 'coffin' and 'casket' are often used to mean the same thing, there's a small difference in their shape.
- A casket usually has six or eight sides. It often has a more decorative or fancy look.
- A coffin is typically rectangular. It might be simpler in design.
Both are used for the same purpose: to hold and transport the body of someone who has died for burial or cremation.
Images for kids
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A shop window display of coffins at a Polish funeral director's office
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A casket showroom in Billings, Montana depicting split lid coffins
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Recreation of President Abraham Lincoln lying in repose in replicated coffin at the National Museum of Funeral History, Houston TX, with a policeman standing guard
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Bronze coffin, Warring States period
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Ancient Egyptian Coffin.JPG
The side of an Ancient Egyptian sarcophagus
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Plain bespoke stone coffin, circa 7th century
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A Karo coffin in Northern Sumatra
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The glass-covered coffin of the Haraldskær Woman
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Coffin of the ancient Egyptian high status priest Khnum-Nakht, from the Tomb of two Brothers at the Deir Rifeh cemetery
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Daniel Mensah (Hello), 2006
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Coffins as an aircraft, a hen, a crab, a cocoa pod in Teshie, Ghana
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A coffin shop in Macau
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A Universal Casket sales kiosk within a U.S. Costco warehouse retail store in California
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See also
In Spanish: Féretro para niños
