Cemetery vs. graveyard – what’s the difference?
Cemetery vs. graveyard. It can be generally assumed that everyone has encountered both the words cemetery and graveyard. Cemetery and graveyard are very close in meaning and are usually used interchangeably. So why do we need both cemetery and a graveyard? Let’s solve this mystery together!
Cemetery vs. graveyard. What is the difference between a cemetery and a graveyard?
A cemetery, as well as a graveyard, is where dead people are buried. However, if there were no difference between those two, there would be no use in creating two terms for the same concept. A cemetery, as opposed to a graveyard, is not affiliated with a church and covers a more prominent piece of land.
Graveyard’s adherence to a religious property makes the church authorities gain control over the requirements for headstones. Moreover, only members of a particular faith shall be buried in a graveyard. Cemetery, on the other hand, is secular; thus, fewer restrictions apply.
Cemetery vs. graveyard. Examples of cemetery in sentences
After the Civil War, women’s groups in the South, notably the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC), took on the task of burying their men and maintaining private cemeteries because their kin were excluded from the newly formed national cemetery system.
Samantha Baskind, The Washington Post
At least a dozen coffins have been left dangling in the air after the collapse of a four-storey building containing burial niches at the oldest cemetery in Naples.
Angela Giuffrida, The Guardian
Cemetery vs. graveyard. Examples of graveyard in sentences
Beneath the surface of the Thames lies a graveyard of plastic waste.
Tom Edwards, BBC News
Parking lot fire destroys 73 vehicles at Texas pumpkin patch, leaving a graveyard of burnt cars.
Scott Gleeson, USA Today
