cemetery

[sem-i-ter-ee]

noun

plural

cemeteries 

1. an area set apart for or containing graves, tombs, or funeral urns, especially one that is not a churchyard; burial ground; graveyard.

cemetery

/ ˈsɛmɪtrɪ /

noun

1. a place where the dead are buried, esp one not attached to a church

Word History and Origins

Origin of cemetery¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of cemetery¹

C14: from Late Latin coemētērium, from Greek koimētērion room for sleeping, from koiman to put to sleep

Example Sentences

A Chicago-area mayor said ICE agents used excessive force when making arrests at a cemetery.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

On Thursday, Netanyahu addressed an official memorial ceremony at the Mount Herzl national cemetery in Jerusalem, two days after the Hebrew calendar anniversary of the 7 October attack.

Read more on BBC

On Thursday, survivors of the attack in Kfar Aza gathered in the cemetery for a memorial to honour those killed that day.

Read more on Barron's

As he stood at the headstone in St Kentigern's cemetery, where his father, mother and three other siblings already lay, he took a moment to remember Anne.

Read more on BBC

In the cemetery, Munzanza's mother Florence knelt by his gravestone and wept.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• garden 
• graveyard 
• mortuary 
• tomb