Hearse, a carriage for conveying the dead to burial. The hearse is roofed usually and has plate glass sides, with a door at the rear through which to admit the coffin. Trappings of hearses for adults are traditionally black. White hearses are coming into use for children and may very probably replace the black hearse altogether. In Paris an automobile hearse carries casket and mourners at the rate of thirty miles an hour. The origin of the name is interesting. The earlier spelling of the word is herce. The herce was a harrow. A framework with spikes on which to affix candles was used at funerals. From its resemblance to the well known agricultural implement it was called a funeral herce, or harrow. Later this simple frame, which, by the way, is still used in Roman Catholic churches, was developed into an elaborate framework or canopy that stood over the bier. When this canopy was mounted on wheels and became a vehicle for the conveyance of the dead, its name went with it. Without a knowledge of the intervening steps, it certainly would seem odd to speak of carrying the dead to burial in a harrow. See BURIAL.