cemetery
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of cemetery
1375–1425; late Middle English < Late Latin coemētērium < Greek koimētḗrion a sleeping place, equivalent to koimē- (variant stem of koimân to put to sleep) + -tērion suffix of locality
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Explanation
A cemetery is the land used for burials. If you are 11 and you purchase a plot in a cemetery, you are planning too far ahead. Cemetery comes all the way from the Greek work koimētērion, which means "sleeping place." But the sleep you do in cemeteries is an eternal one. Cemeteries can often be found near churches, or in big parks outside of cities, usually gated off because the ground has been consecrated, or blessed. Sometimes we use cemetery metaphorically. The sea is a cemetery for shipwrecked sailors, just as a junk shop might be a cemetery for old shoes.
Vocabulary lists containing cemetery
Memorial Day Words
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List 5
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for October 30–November 5, 2021
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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.
After my grandfather was buried in Hollywood Forever Cemetery in 2009, I have watched the little path that leads to his tombstone go from a muddy dirt trail to neatly paved with bricks.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
He’s proposed a 250-foot arch in front of Arlington National Cemetery, redoing the reflecting pool, and even adding his face to passports and coins.
From Slate • May 7, 2026
Trump has also proposed building an enormous, 250-foot tall "Independence Arch" -- reminiscent of Paris' Arc de Triomphe -- on the bank of the Potomac River near the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery.
From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026
A five-year-old girl has been taken to hospital after she was hit by a car at the gates of Kilmarnock Cemetery.
From BBC • Mar. 7, 2026
Nevertheless, Ruth walked in her even-paced way down the street and in just a few minutes was at the wide winding lane that led into Fairfield Cemetery.
From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison
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.
