Buried Alive

April 24, 2005 3:26 AM

Is there a single word which means "buried alive"?
posted by seanyboy to Writing & Language (21 answers total)

Interred? No that just means buried.... hmm -man if there isn't a word, there should be.

It should be latin - here goes - "viventerrus!" - How's that?

Oh you wanted a real word - sorry.
posted by Dag Maggot at 3:33 AM on April 24, 2005

Which begs for the question- who are you planning to bury?
posted by pjern at 3:52 AM on April 24, 2005

In what context will the word be used?
posted by grouse at 3:54 AM on April 24, 2005

Entombed?
posted by longbaugh at 4:03 AM on April 24, 2005

Best answer: Vivisepulture is the noun that describes the act.
posted by Neiltupper at 4:18 AM on April 24, 2005

Vivisepulturisationated.
posted by chrismear at 4:35 AM on April 24, 2005

Response by poster: Vivisepulture sounds good. Context: The Egyptian God Innoteph was buried alive for his sins.
posted by seanyboy at 5:07 AM on April 24, 2005

Except vivisepulture is a noun. I think you'll have to coin the verb yourself. Vivisepulturate?
posted by grouse at 6:06 AM on April 24, 2005

"Buried alive" is a much better choice.
posted by smackfu at 6:28 AM on April 24, 2005

mmmmmpf...
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 7:20 AM on April 24, 2005

"Immured" is a word that gets used less than it should, although you could be immured dead or alive, it seems.

It beggars the question: "Whom are you planning to bury", not "Who." For the love of God, solopsist!
posted by ikkyu2 at 7:51 AM on April 24, 2005

Doesn't "immured" mean "walled in" rather than buried? Minor point, I know. And you're correct; it should be used more often.
posted by aramaic at 8:33 AM on April 24, 2005

And immurred does not necessarily imply that you die there, as does being buried alive (although I suppose you could survive that too, cf. Kill Bill).
posted by grouse at 8:42 AM on April 24, 2005

Yes, yes, points taken - I just wanted an excuse to say "For the love of God!"
posted by ikkyu2 at 11:12 AM on April 24, 2005

Vivisepulturate appears once. Although I think vivisepulturise, given the Latin root.
posted by RichLyon at 1:14 PM on April 24, 2005

solopsist

It doesn't beg the question. Bad solopsist, bad!
posted by electroboy at 1:47 PM on April 24, 2005

Not an answer, but it may help: The Roman Vestal Virgins were punished by live burial if they broke their vow of chastity. I wonder if some Latin text might give a word for that punishment. Any Roman history geeks out there?
posted by nebulawindphone at 2:41 PM on April 24, 2005

According to the OED second edition:
vivi-
Combining form of L. vīvus alive, living, employed in a few terms, as †vivicom·bustion = next; vivicre·mation, the action of burning, or the fact of being burned, alive; †vividi·ssection = VIVISECTION 2; vivi·sepulture, burying alive.

Since the OED does not list the part of speech I think it is safe to use it as both a noun or a verb. Nor does it give vivisepulture its own entry.
posted by Grod at 3:28 PM on April 24, 2005

Further exploration of the OED reveals that the word "sepulture" is both a verb and a noun, so my surmise above was correct.
posted by Grod at 3:30 PM on April 24, 2005

Have you been listening to They Might Be Giants?

I'll take back my pinata it's wasted on you
Just spinning that pool cue all over the room
And give back the blindfold that's under your shoe
Let's drink, drink this town is so great
Drink, drink cuz it's never too late
To drink, drink to no big surprise
But what words rhyme with buried alive?
posted by tomble at 3:54 PM on April 24, 2005

Electroboy: I didn't say "begs the question", I said "begs for the question". There's a difference.
posted by pjern at 7:00 PM on April 24, 2005