tumulus

[ too-myuh-luhs, tyoo- ]
See synonyms for tumulus on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural tu·mu·lus·es, tu·mu·li [too-myuh-lahy, tyoo-]. /ˈtu myəˌlaɪ, ˈtyu-/.
  1. Archaeology. an artificial mound, especially over a grave; barrow.

  2. Geology. a domelike swelling or mound formed in congealed lava.

Origin of tumulus

1
1680–90; <Latin: mound, swelling, equivalent to tum(ēre) to swell + -ulus-ule

Words Nearby tumulus

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

How to use tumulus in a sentence

  • The pile was then fired and when wood and body had been consumed, earth was heaped over the ashes into a mound (tumulus).

    The Private Life of the Romans | Harold Whetstone Johnston
  • It is on this summit, and on one of the most elevated parts of it, that the great tumulus stands.

    The Indian in his Wigwam | Henry R. Schoolcraft
  • We have, indeed, in Thessaly, "a large tumulus which contained a silver urn with burned remains."

    Homer and His Age | Andrew Lang
  • The monuments were generally adequately protected against this by the thick tumulus.

  • The tumulus was enlarged proportionately and usually completely covered the chamber.

British Dictionary definitions for tumulus

tumulus

/ (ˈtjuːmjʊləs) /


nounplural -li (-liː)
  1. archaeol (no longer in technical usage) another word for barrow 2

Origin of tumulus

1
C17: from Latin: a hillock, from tumēre to swell up

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