sarcophagus
Americannoun
-
sarcophagi,
plural
-
sarcophaguses
plural
-
a stone coffin, especially one bearing sculpture, inscriptions, etc., often displayed as a monument.
-
Greek Antiquity. a kind of stone thought to consume the flesh of corpses, used for coffins.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of sarcophagus
1595–1605; < Latin < Greek sarkophágos, noun use of the adj.; see sarcophagous
Explanation
If you want to go out in style, buy yourself a sarcophagus — a very fancy coffin usually decorated with elaborate carvings. If King Tut could arrange it, so can you! Sarcophagus comes from the Greek word sarkophagos meaning "limestone used for coffins." But the Greek literally translates to mean "flesh-eating." Seems a bit gruesome, doesn't it? This translation makes sense when you figure that limestone was used in coffins because it quickly decomposed the body. These stone coffins are usually decorated with a sculpture or inscription and date back to the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Rome, and Greece.
Vocabulary lists containing sarcophagus
Ancient Egypt - Introductory
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!
Ancient Egypt - Middle School and High School
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!
The Red Pyramid
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.
See Examples For:
The remains attributed to Samuel will be laid in a white sarcophagus made from marble quarried in the Prilep region of North Macedonia, public broadcaster BNT said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
Inside the mind-blowing 2,000-year-old sarcophagus that was just unsealed.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 25, 2026
So far, only about 30 have been recovered from the rubble, including a piece of a Byzantine sarcophagus lid and pottery jars.
From BBC ● Dec. 4, 2025
Then there’s the late-second-century marble sarcophagus made to house the remains of a husband and wife.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2025
Kings and commoners alike made pilgrimages to this spot to gaze at the conqueror’s unspoiled remains in their golden sarcophagus.
From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro
Excavations uncovered a funerary complex consisting of three limestone burial chambers containing Roman-era mummies and decorated wooden sarcophagi.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026
Among the bronze and marble objects are portraits, over-life-size figures, sarcophagi reliefs and animal sculptures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2025
The boy-king's priceless collection is yet to be displayed, but visitors can now see items varying from pharaonic statues to sarcophagi and mummified bodies.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2024
“In one of the wooden sarcophagi, we found, for the first time, a complete and sealed papyrus,” he told reporters at a makeshift exhibit Monday.
From Washington Post ● May 31, 2022
Here in the shop only great sarcophagi were built, and blocks of stone roughhewn to size, ready for the sculptors.
From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
One of the two sarcophaguses was decorated with images of grapes and the other with dolphins said A'utul, whose organisation is supervising the work with help from French aid agency Premiere Urgance International.
From Reuters ● Jul. 24, 2023
Many words ending in us that formerly were written with only the Latin plural, are now given an English plural also; as, focuses, foci; cactuses, cacti; sarcophaguses, sarcophagi; convolvuluses, convolvuli ; funguses, fungi; nucleuses, nuclei.
From Slips of Speech : a Helpful Book for Everyone Who Aspires to Correct the Everyday Errors of Speaking by John Hendricks Bechtel
Hercules, triumphs of, figured on sarcophaguses, 231 & n.
From Life of John Keats His Life and Poetry, his Friends, Critics and After-fame by Sidney Colvin
It reminds one of graves, and sarcophaguses, and cemeteries, and horrid things that rustle in coffin cloths, and mop and mow in corners.
From Portia or By Passions Rocked by Duchess
Bedford, Duke of, carved sarcophaguses owned by, 231 n.
From Life of John Keats His Life and Poetry, his Friends, Critics and After-fame by Sidney Colvin
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
