crypt

[ kript ]
See synonyms for crypt on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a subterranean chamber or vault, especially one beneath the main floor of a church, used as a burial place, a location for secret meetings, etc.

  2. Anatomy. a slender pit or recess; a small glandular cavity.

Origin of crypt

1
1375–1425 for sense “grotto”; 1555–65 for current senses; late Middle English cripte<Latin crypta<Greek kryptḗ hidden place, noun use of feminine of kryptós hidden, verbid of krýptein to hide; replacing earlier crypta<Latin, as above

Other words from crypt

  • un·der·crypt, noun

Other definitions for crypt- (2 of 2)

crypt-

  1. variant of crypto- before a vowel.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use crypt in a sentence

  • A large recess in the wall next to the Papal crypt is thought to have held her sarcophagus.

    The Catacombs of Rome | William Henry Withrow
  • The first of these areas which we reach on entering the vineyard is that known as the crypt of St. Lucina.

    The Catacombs of Rome | William Henry Withrow
  • The names of many Ccilii and other noble Roman families are also found on epitaphs in this crypt.

    The Catacombs of Rome | William Henry Withrow
  • The same purpose is effected within the crypt by balustrades, and even by parallel galleries to the same chamber.

    The Catacombs of Rome | William Henry Withrow
  • Then about twenty monks, with their heads buried in immense hoods, came out of the crypt, and stationed themselves in the nave.

    Chicot the Jester | Alexandre Dumas, Pere

British Dictionary definitions for crypt

crypt

/ (krɪpt) /


noun
  1. a cellar, vault, or underground chamber, esp beneath a church, where it is often used as a chapel, burial place, etc

  2. anatomy any pitlike recess or depression

Origin of crypt

1
C18: from Latin crypta, from Greek kruptē vault, secret place, from kruptos hidden, from kruptein to hide

Derived forms of crypt

  • cryptal, adjective

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