Nearby Words
noun
1.
Usually, catacombs. an underground cemetery, especially one consisting of tunnels and rooms with recesses dug out for coffins and tombs.
2.
the Catacombs, the subterranean burial chambers of the early Christians in and near Rome, Italy.
3.
an underground passageway, especially one full of twists and turns.
Origin:
before 900; Middle English catacombe, Old English catacumbe < Late Latin catacumbās (accusative plural); of disputed orig.; perhaps < Greek *katakýmbās, equivalent to kata- cata- + kýmbās, accusative plural of kýmbē hollow, cup
before 900; Middle English catacombe, Old English catacumbe < Late Latin catacumbās (accusative plural); of disputed orig.; perhaps < Greek *katakýmbās, equivalent to kata- cata- + kýmbās, accusative plural of kýmbē hollow, cup
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Catacomb
is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
Example Sentences
- Entrances are cut into the rock faces, as to a catacomb.
- He seems to be after something else, using sheer scale to create a kind of catacomb of the discarded.
- The tradition of catacomb tourism continues today, with many thousands of visitors coming each year.
Collins
World English Dictionary
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
catacomb
O.E. catacumbas, from L.L. (400 C.E.) catacumbae, originally the region of underground tombs between the 2nd and 3rd milestones of the Appian Way (where the bodies of apostles Paul and Peter were said to have been laid), origin obscure, perhaps once a proper name, or dissimilation from L. cata tumbas
EXPAND"at the graves," from cata- "among" + tumbas, acc. pl. of tumba "tomb." Extended 1836 to any subterranean receptacle of the dead (as in Paris).
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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