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Cemetery

 - 4 dictionary results

cem⋅e⋅ter⋅y

[sem-i-ter-ee]
–noun, plural -ter⋅ies.
an area set apart for or containing graves, tombs, or funeral urns, esp. one that is not a churchyard; burial ground; graveyard.

Origin:
1375–1425; late ME < LL coemētērium < Gk koimētrion a sleeping place, equiv. to koimē- (var. s. of koimân to put to sleep) + -tērion suffix of locality
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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cem·e·ter·y   (sěm'ĭ-těr'ē)   
n.   pl. cem·e·ter·ies
A place for burying the dead; a graveyard.

[Middle English cimiterie, from Old French cimitiere, from Medieval Latin cimitērium, from Late Latin coemētērium, from Greek koimētērion, from koimān, to put to sleep; see kei-1 in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

cemetery 
1387, from O.Fr. cimetiere "graveyard," from L.L. coemeterium, from Gk. koimeterion "sleeping place, dormitory," from koiman "to put to sleep," keimai "I lie down," from PIE base *kei- "to lie, rest" (cf. Goth haims "village," O.E. ham "home, house, dwelling"). Early Christian writers were the first to use it for "burial ground."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

cemetery

place set apart for burial or entombment of the dead. Reflecting geography, religious beliefs, social attitudes, and aesthetic and sanitary considerations, cemeteries may be simple or elaborate-built with a grandeur that overshines the community of the living. They may also be regarded as "holy fields" or taboo areas. In countries such as Japan and Mexico, cemeteries are festival places on certain occasions set aside to honour the dead. In other countries and among other religious groups, they are simple and stark and generally shunned.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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