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catacumbal

 - 2 dictionary results

cat⋅a⋅comb

  [kat-uh-kohm]
Use catacumbal in a Sentence
–noun
1. Usually, catacombs. an underground cemetery, esp. 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, esp. one full of twists and turns.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME catacombe, OE catacumbe < LL catacumbās (acc. pl.); of disputed orig.; perh. < Gk *katakýmbās, equiv. to kata- cata- + kýmbās, acc. pl. of kýmbē hollow, cup

Related forms:
cat⋅a⋅cum⋅bal  [kat-uh-kuhm-buhl] , adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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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 "at the graves," from cata- "among" + tumbas, acc. pl. of tumba "tomb." Extended 1836 to any subterranean receptacle of the dead (as in Paris).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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