Nec·ro·phore n.  Zool. Any one of numerous species of beetles of the genus Necrophorus and allied genera; -- called also burying beetle, carrion beetle, sexton beetle.

 ◄ ►


 Bur·y v. t. [imp. & p. p. Buried p. pr. & vb. n. Burying ]
 1. To cover out of sight, either by heaping something over, or by placing within something, as earth, etc.; to conceal by covering; to hide; as, to bury coals in ashes; to bury the face in the hands.
 And all their confidence
 Under the weight of mountains buried deep.   --Milton.
 2. Specifically: To cover out of sight, as the body of a deceased person, in a grave, a tomb, or the ocean; to deposit (a corpse) in its resting place, with funeral ceremonies; to inter; to inhume.
    Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.   --Matt. viii. 21.
    I'll bury thee in a triumphant grave.   --Shak.
 3. To hide in oblivion; to put away finally; to abandon; as, to bury strife.
 Give me a bowl of wine
 In this I bury all unkindness, Cassius.   --Shak.
 Burying beetle Zool., the general name of many species of beetles, of the tribe Necrophaga; the sexton beetle; -- so called from their habit of burying small dead animals by digging away the earth beneath them. The larvæ feed upon decaying flesh, and are useful scavengers.
 To bury the hatchet, to lay aside the instruments of war, and make peace; -- a phrase used in allusion to the custom observed by the North American Indians, of burying a tomahawk when they conclude a peace.
 Syn: -- To intomb; inter; inhume; inurn; hide; cover; conceal; overwhelm; repress.

 ◄ ►


 Car·ri·on, a. Of or pertaining to dead and putrefying carcasses; feeding on carrion.
    A prey for carrion kites.   --Shak.
 Carrion beetle Zool., any beetle that feeds habitually on dead animals; -- also called sexton beetle and burying beetle.  There are many kinds, belonging mostly to the family Silphidæ.
 Carrion buzzard Zool., a South American bird of several species and genera (as Ibycter, Milvago, and Polyborus), which act as scavengers. See Caracara.
 Carrion crow, the common European crow (Corvus corone) which feeds on carrion, insects, fruits, and seeds.

 ◄ ►


 Grave·dig·ger n.
 1. A digger of graves.
 2. Zool. See Burying beetle, under Bury, v. t.

 ◄ ►