cenotaph
noun
a sepulchral monument erected in memory of a deceased person whose body is buried elsewhere.
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Cenotaphs.
cenotaph
American
[sen-uh-taf, -tahf]
/ ˈsɛn əˌtæf, -ˌtɑf /
noun
Cenotaph
1
British
/ ˈsɛnəˌtɑːf /
noun
cenotaph
2
British
/ ˈsɛnəˌtɑːf /
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of cenotaph
1595–1605; < Latin cenotaphium < Greek kenotáphion, equivalent to kenó ( s ) empty + -taphion ( táph ( os ) tomb + -ion diminutive suffix)
Explanation
A cenotaph is a monument to the dead, specifically those buried in another place. Cenotaphs are often erected in honor of war veterans. A cenotaph — which is very similar to a tomb — is a memorial to the dead. Unlike a tomb, a cenotaph doesn’t contain the body of the person memorialized, because the remains are elsewhere or couldn’t be recovered. Across the United States, you can find cenotaphs for people who served in World War I, World War II, the Vietnam War, and other conflicts. Family members and other citizens leave flowers at cenotaphs to pay respect to the dead.
Vocabulary lists containing cenotaph
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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.
See Examples For:
Theirs are among 51 names on that pale grey granite cenotaph.
From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2025
The cenotaph "is not a billboard for claims, however respectable they may be," he said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2025
Choi kneels before the cenotaph and hangs his head.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2023
“A vast cenotaph of secession” was how the journalist and historian Tony Horwitz described Richmond in his 1998 book, “Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches From the Unfinished Civil War.”
From New York Times ● Dec. 26, 2022
The cenotaph of Dante is placed close to the beautiful Renaissance tomb of Leonardo Bruni.
From Cathedral Cities of Italy by William Wiehe Collins
Michelle O'Neill attended the event and laid a laurel wreath at the Cenotaph at Belfast City Hall in her role as first minister for the second year in a row.
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2025
More than 20 different faith groups were represented around the plain stone of the Cenotaph, with clerical robes mixing in with the military uniforms.
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2025
That was a reminder that as well as the military veterans, the commemoration by the Cenotaph brings together representatives of other types of service.
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2025
His small service will be in stark contrast to the large, solemn ceremony at the Cenotaph in London.
From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2025
This is the Cenotaph, the national memorial to the British soldiers who gave their lives in the Great War, 1914-1918.
From The Children's Book of London by G. E. (Geraldine Edith) Mitton
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
