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

Today, the couple are buried close together in Bromsgrove's old cemetery in Worcestershire.

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Stray leaves cover the field, like headstones in a cemetery.

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“I checked the occult bookstores, the spooky carnivals, the abandoned cemeteries, and all the obscure and little-trafficked corners of the city. Nothing!”

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VALOR, which has also advocated for a veterans cemetery in Orange County, was listed as a co-sponsor of the memorial.

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Crowds packed the military cemetery, with some climbing onto rooftops to glimpse the funeral, while others watched from plastic chairs in front of a large outdoor screen.

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Related Words

• garden 
• graveyard 
• mortuary 
• tomb