Disinhume

/ˌdɪsɪnˈhjuːm/ verb

Definition

To dig up or remove a body from the ground after burial; to exhume.

Etymology

From dis- (remove) + inhume (to bury in the ground, from Latin inhumare). The word is a more formal synonym for exhume, using the prefix dis- instead of ex-.

Kelly Says

Disinhume is the Victorian-era counterpart to our modern 'exhume,' and it appears in gothic literature constantly because it sounds appropriately creepy and formal. The word carries legal weight because disinterring remains requires court orders and serious criminal or historical justification.

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