white man's grave
white man's grave noun: africa, or more specifically, western Africa or Sierra Leone.
Noun (1)
white man's grave (plural white men's graves)
- Africa, or more specifically, western Africa or Sierra Leone.
- [...]for, until some great revolution in nature or some great and gradual human exertion takes place, it must ever prove the "white man's grave," of which we have many lamentable proofs in the deaths of so many worthy and adventurous spirits who have fallen victims to research and humanity—Park...1847, William Whitaker Shreeve, Sierra Leone: the principal British Colony on the Western Coast of Africa, Simmonds, page 2
- I was informed that, sometime since, a young man—I think his name was John Hooke, Brazilian consul—had retired thither, in hopes of avoiding the baleful influence of disease; but, alas! how futile are all human hopes and purposes—he, too, became a victim, and now lies in the white man's grave.1861, Francisco Travassos Valdez, Six Years of a Traveller's Life in Western Africa, volume 1, Hurst and Blackett, page 277
Noun (2) capitalized: White Man's Grave
White Man's Grave (plural White Man's Graves)
- Alternative form of white man's grave.
Noun (3) capitalized: White man's grave
White man's grave (plural White man's graves)
- Alternative form of white man's grave.
Forms of white man's grave
| plural | white men's graves |
|---|---|
| alternative form | White man's grave |
| alternative form | White Man's Grave |
| alternative form | some white man's grave |
| alternative form | white men's grave |
| plural | White Man's Graves |
| plural | White man's graves |
Origin of white man's grave
Referring to the high mortality rate among white missionaries and colonists in Africa, due to the tropical climate, diseases, and sanitation.
Questions about white man's grave
- What does white man's grave mean?
- White man's grave means africa, or more specifically, western Africa or Sierra Leone.
- What part of speech is white man's grave?
- White man's grave is a noun.
- What is the plural of white man's grave?
- The plural of white man's grave is white men's graves.
Words near white man's grave in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: white man's grave (page history and authors); White Man's Grave (page history and authors); White man's grave (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this entry: “white man's grave.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/white_man%27s_grave. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.