kerkhof

Kerkhof is the Dutch word for a cemetery or graveyard. It is composed of kerk, meaning church, and hof, meaning yard or enclosure. In everyday usage kerkhof refers to a historic churchyard, while the more general term for a burial ground is begraafplaats.

In the Netherlands and parts of Belgium, many churches have a kerkhof surrounding their building. These churchyards often contain older graves and monuments and can be of historical and genealogical interest. Some kerkhofs were later incorporated into formal cemeteries.

Kerkhof is also a Dutch toponymic surname. As a surname it indicates origin near a churchyard and is relatively common in the Netherlands and Belgium.

The term remains in use in place names and street names, and while kerkhof is broadly understood, begraafplaats is increasingly used for contemporary burial grounds.