catacomb

Valid in Scrabble

Scrabble points
16
Words With Friends
20
Letters
8
Pronunciation
/ˈkætəkuːm/(UK)
See all 4 pronunciations
/ˈkætəkuːm/(UK) · /ˈkætəkəʊm/(UK) · /ˈkætəkoʊm/(US) · /ˈkætəkum/(US)

Definition of catacomb

1 sense · 1 part of speech · etymology included

noun

  1. (often, plural)An underground system of tunnels and chambers with recesses for graves, used (in former times) as a cemetery; a tunnel system used for burying the dead, as in Paris or Ancient Rome.
    “Meronyms: crypt, ossuary”

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Etymology

From Middle English catacombe, from Old English catacumbe, catacumbas pl, from Late Latin catacumbae pl, name of the underground cemetery of St. Sebastian in Rome, of unclear origin. Perhaps a…

See full etymology

From Middle English catacombe, from Old English catacumbe, catacumbas pl, from Late Latin catacumbae pl, name of the underground cemetery of St. Sebastian in Rome, of unclear origin. Perhaps a dissimilation (influenced by *cumbō (“to lie, recline”)) of Late Latin cata tumbās (literally “among the tombs”) (from Ancient Greek κατά (katá, “under”) and τύμβος (túmbos, “tomb”)). Some sources suggest Ancient Greek κύμβη (kúmbē, “drinking vessel”) as an alternative etymon, but the semantic link is unclear.

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1 extension · 1 back

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