BIER, a wooden machine for carrying the bodies of the dead to be buried. The word comes from the French biere, which signifies the same. It is called in Latin feretrum, a ferendo. Among the Romans the common bier, whereon the poorer sort were carried, was called sandapila; that used for the richer sort, lectica, lectica funebri, sometimes lectus. The former was only a sort of wooden chest, vilis arca, which was
burnt with the body; the latter was enriched and gilded for pomp. It was carried bare, or uncovered, when the person died a natural and easy death; when he was much disfigured or distorted, it was veiled or covered over.