Is there a word for the leather that covers a dead person's face? I am pretty sure there was a word for that, but I can't remember what it was.
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1What leather? We don't usually have them in Britain.– Michael HarveyJun 21, 2020 at 8:24
2 Answers
I've never heard of leather specifically, or even of just the face being covered, but a general term for something that a corpse is wrapped in is a shroud:
[Merriam-Webster]
1 : burial garment : WINDING-SHEET, CEREMENTwinding-sheet
: a sheet in which a corpse is wrappedcerement
: a shroud for the dead
especially : CERECLOTH —usually used in pluralcerecloth
: cloth treated with melted wax or gummy matter and formerly used especially for wrapping a dead body
Never heard of leather either...
There are death masks made of wax or plaster....
But I think it is more likely that the word you are looking for is not for bodies' heads but babies'... a cawl
A caul or cowl is a piece of membrane that can cover a newborn's head and face.