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

The cemetery, as witnessed from Mr. Gallot’s intimate perspective, is in fact full of life.

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Five of the young men were buried in the cemetery overlooking the high school football stadium.

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Outside, France’s largest World War I cemetery contains the graves of more than 16,000 French soldiers.

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In her autobiography, Lanchester wrote that she did not like the location of her husband's burial plot in Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills cemetery – Laughton died in 1962.

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While unusual, the Pentagon does sometimes accept gifts from donors, but they normally must be given to fund specific projects, such as a school, hospital, library, museum, or cemetery.

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Related Words

• garden 
• graveyard 
• mortuary 
• tomb