Lich n. A dead body; a corpse. [Obs.]
Lich fowl Zool., the European goatsucker; -- called also lich owl.
Lich gate, a covered gate through which the corpse was carried to the church or burial place, and where the bier was placed to await the clergyman; a corpse gate. [Prov. Eng.] --Halliwell.
Lich wake, the wake, or watching, held over a corpse before burial. [Prov Eng.] --Chaucer.
Lich wall, the wall of a churchyard or burying ground.
Lich way, the path by which the dead are carried to the grave. [Prov. Eng.]
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Corpse n.
1. A human body in general, whether living or dead; -- sometimes contemptuously. [Obs.]
Note: ☞ Formerly written (after the French form) corps. See Corps, n., 1.
2. The dead body of a human being; -- used also Fig.
He touched the dead corpse of Public Credit, and it sprung upon its feet. --D. Webster.
Corpse candle. (a) A thick candle formerly used at a lich wake, or the customary watching with a corpse on the night before its interment. (b) A luminous appearance, resembling the flame of a candle, sometimes seen in churchyards and other damp places, superstitiously regarded as portending death.
Corpse gate, the gate of a burial place through which the dead are carried, often having a covered porch; -- called also lich gate.
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