death mask

noun

: a cast taken from the face of a dead person

Examples of death mask in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Right on the touristy Promenade des Anglais, the Villa Masséna houses imperial artifacts—including Napoleon’s death mask and Empress Josephine’s diadem. — Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2026 The show has its origins in Tussaud’s death masks of French royalty and victims of the French Revolution, including King Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 June 2026 There are plenty of famous and popular gold statues — Thailand’s Golden Buddha; the Golden Madonna of Essen in Germany; Jeanne d’Arc in Paris; Prometheus at Rockefeller Center in New York; even Tutankhamun’s death mask and solid gold coffin, which travel the world. — Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026 The Neue has a photo of Schiele on his deathbed, along with a plaster death mask. — Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for death mask

Word History

First Known Use

1838, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of death mask was in 1838

Rhymes for death mask

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Browse Nearby Words

death march
death mask
death metal
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Cite this Entry

“Death mask.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/death%20mask. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on death mask

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about death mask

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