god's acre: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
LowLiterary, Poetic, Archaic, Ecclesiastical
Quick answer
What does “god's acre” mean?
A churchyard or burial ground, especially one attached to a church.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A churchyard or burial ground, especially one attached to a church.
A term, chiefly poetic or archaic, for a cemetery or burial ground, often carrying connotations of peaceful rest and consecrated ground.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant semantic difference. The term is equally rare and literary in both varieties.
Connotations
Connotes antiquity, Christian tradition, and rural or village church settings.
Frequency
Extremely rare in modern everyday language, found primarily in historical texts, poetry, hymns, or formal ecclesiastical contexts in both BrE and AmE.
Grammar
How to Use “god's acre” in a Sentence
[Preposition] + God's acrebe buried/lain/laid to rest in God's acrethe [adjective] God's acre of [location]Vocabulary
Collocations
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Not used.
Academic
Used in historical, literary, or religious studies when quoting or describing older texts.
Everyday
Virtually never used in casual conversation.
Technical
Not used in technical fields.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “god's acre”
Strong
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “god's acre”
- Incorrectly capitalising as 'Gods Acre' (should have apostrophe).
- Using it in modern, non-literary contexts where 'cemetery' or 'graveyard' is expected.
- Treating it as a countable plural (e.g., 'two gods acres').
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is an archaic and literary term. In everyday speech, people use 'cemetery,' 'graveyard,' or 'churchyard.'
Not always. It is often capitalized in titles or for emphasis, but can appear in lower case, especially when used generically.
It is a loan translation from the German 'Gottesacker' (God's field), reflecting the concept of the churchyard as a field where the bodies of the faithful are 'sown' to await resurrection.
Originally and most precisely, it refers to a burial ground attached to a church. However, in poetic use, it can be extended to mean any consecrated cemetery.
A churchyard or burial ground, especially one attached to a church.
God's acre is usually literary, poetic, archaic, ecclesiastical in register.
God's acre: in British English it is pronounced /ˌɡɒdz ˈeɪkə/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌɡɑːdz ˈeɪkər/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of an ACRE of land owned by GOD, where people are laid to rest.
Conceptual Metaphor
THE CEMETERY IS A FIELD (belonging to God). DEATH IS SLEEP (in God's field).
Practice
Quiz
In which context would 'God's acre' be MOST appropriately used?