charnel
[ chahr-nl ]
noun
a repository for dead bodies.
adjective
of, like, or fit for a charnel; deathlike; sepulchral.
Origin of charnel
1First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French, from Late Latin carnāle, noun and adjective use of neuter of carnāliscarnal
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use charnel in a sentence
The lazar houses and the charnels have been ransacked for forms of grisly decay.
Renaissance in Italy Vol. 3 | John Addington SymondsBut the weird woman discovers a very different odor of coming slaughter: "To me the reek is like the breath of charnels."
Studies of the Greek Poets (Vol I of 2) | John Addington SymondsAt length the flame quivers,—the air grows cold as the wind in charnels.
Zanoni | Edward Bulwer Lytton
British Dictionary definitions for charnel
charnel
/ (ˈtʃɑːnəl) /
noun
short for charnel house
adjective
ghastly; sepulchral; deathly
Origin of charnel
1C14: from Old French: burial place, from Latin carnālis fleshly, carnal
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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