Does anyone know the word for gravestone? The dictionary I have has two. Is there a specific or can I use either one?
The words are:
1)Pierre
2)Tombale
I’m not a French speaker, although I am studying French. I think *une pierre * is simply the generic noun for a stone. *Tombal * is an adjective, relating to a tomb (which is un tombeau). So a tombstone would be une pierre tombale.
I’ve also heard the term: une pierre sépulcrale. Which refers to the stone that marks a burial-place.
Oh, but please note: Cuncator is using the term I’ve heard more often.
If you want to get really fancy, you can also say monument funéraire, but “monument” implies something a little fancier than your average gravestone.
Pierre tombale is correct. Tombe is the more accurate translation of “tomb” and is feminine. Tombeau, strictly speaking, refers to monuments on a tomb but is usually used to refer to larger tombs.
Sépulcre is a litterary equivalent to tombeau. Pierre sépulcrale is a terribly flowery term that doesn’t show up at all in regular conversation. You’ll only find it in very formal documents.
I suppose “sepulchral stone” would sound odd in English too.
To be honest, the only time I’ve seen pierre sépulcrale (aside from older literature) has been in the pamphlets for burial markers that they have at funeral homes where you can pick 'em out of the catalog and the language used is overly austere.
Never heard it in day-to-day usage.