urn
urn — noun
1. a container that is shaped like a vase and rests on a narrow base, used either a
a container that is shaped like a vase and rests on a narrow base, used either as a garden ornament or to keep a person's cremated remains.
An antique stone urn stood at the entrance to the royal garden.
collocation: stone urn, garden urn
After the ceremony, Kemi's family placed her urn in the family tomb.
possessive form: person's urn for cremation context
Haruto bought a small bronze urn from the antiques shop near his flat.
Ada placed a clay urn by the front door and filled it with dried branches.
- vase
a vase is usually smaller, used for cut flowers, and does not have a lid; an urn is typically larger and may have a pedestal and lid.
- jar
a jar is wide-mouthed, usually made of glass or pottery, and used for storing food rather than for decoration or ashes.
- cinerary urn
a formal or archaeological term specifically for a container that holds cremated remains; less common in everyday speech.
文法句型
[material] + urn
urn + of + [substance] (e.g., urn of ashes)
用法筆記
Frequently modified by a material noun (stone, marble, bronze, clay) or a purpose adjective (funeral, cremation, garden, decorative). The funerary sense typically uses a possessive or the phrase 'urn of ashes.'
常見錯誤
2. a metal container, typically large and cylindrical, with a lid or tap, used to p
a metal container, typically large and cylindrical, with a lid or tap, used to prepare and serve hot drinks like tea or coffee in large quantities.
Aylin filled the tea urn with hot water before the guests arrived.
collocation: fill the [tea/coffee] urn
The coffee urn in the conference room held enough for fifty people.
Ezra switched on the urn at the church hall for the Sunday service.
Rohan borrowed a large urn from the community centre for the charity bake sale.
- dispenser
a general term that can refer to any serving container (water dispenser, soap dispenser); 'urn' specifically implies a heated drink container.
- kettle
a kettle is smaller, used to boil water, and typically not used for serving; an urn serves already-prepared drinks.
- samovar
a Russian metal urn used for heating water for tea, often ornately decorated; 'urn' is the broader, less culturally specific term.
文法句型
[drink] + urn (e.g., tea urn, coffee urn)
fill + the + urn
用法筆記
Common in event or institutional settings — conference rooms, weddings, churches, school cafeterias — where a large volume of a single hot drink is served at once. The type of drink is typically specified before the word (tea urn, coffee urn, hot chocolate urn).