coffin door noun2 •A door that leads directly into the second story of some older houses, used to bring in (and out) a coffin when a person died on the second story (where people often slept) and the coffin could not be brought up the (usually narrow or spiral) staircase from the first story.… second window from the right on the second story replaced the “coffin door,” a necessity in homes where a coffin and other furniture could not fit on the staircase. — 2014 •A door on the first story of a house which leads directly into a room that would be used for hosting an in-home funeral, and/or that is wide enough to bring a coffin through. formscoffin doors
