lich-wake
noun- In some parts of Scotland is still kept up the custon of Lyke-wake (Lich-wake), or watching beside the dead body before its burial.1871, Walter Field, Stones of the temple, or, Lessons from the fabric and furniture of the church:
- Funeral rites in the house (lich wakes) should be avoided out of regard for the health of the members of the family.1913, The Journal of State Medicine:
1 more example
- The custom of the "lich-wake," corresponding largely with the surviving Irish custom of waking the dead, had not then died out in Scotland, and in Monifieth was frequently practised.2016, Arthur Morrison, The Shadows Around Us:
- Synonyms
- late-wake