mausoleum
Americannoun
-
a stately and magnificent tomb.
-
a burial place for the bodies or remains of many individuals, often of a single family, usually in the form of a small building.
-
a large, gloomy, depressing building, room, or the like.
-
(initial capital letter) the tomb erected at Halicarnassus in Asia Minor in 350? b.c.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of mausoleum
1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin < Greek Mausoleîon the tomb of Mausolus, king of Caria
Explanation
A mausoleum is a building that contains a tomb or tombs. The Taj Mahal, built by Shah Jahan as a monument to his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, is the world's most famous mausoleum. Mausoleion, the Greek source of the Latinized mausoleum, was the name given to the tomb of the King Mausolus, a Persian ruler who died in 353 B.C.E. This vast elaborate structure was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Other notable mausoleums or mausolea include the mausoleum of China's First Qin Emperor –- the site of the famous Terra Cotta Army — and the tombs of Ulysses S. Grant and Abraham Lincoln.
Vocabulary lists containing mausoleum
You Name It: Eponyms
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Some Obscure Eponyms
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
100 Great Words from "Fahrenheit 451" -- Part I Vocabulary
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Housed among millions of relics, item number 1847,0424.19 was recovered in the 1850s in the dust of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, located in modern-day Bodrum, Turkey.
From Salon • Nov. 26, 2024
He entombed his wife in the Mausoleum of Hadrian in Rome.
From National Geographic • Nov. 16, 2023
Heche’s remains were placed in the cemetery’s Cathedral Mausoleum, which overlooks its central lake.
From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2023
In the city of Ramallah, in the West Bank, hundreds gathered outside the Yasir Arafat Mausoleum, where the former Palestinian president is buried.
From New York Times • May 15, 2023
“I feel like we’re visiting the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus or something.”
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
