cenotaph

[ sen-uh-taf, -tahf ]

noun

1. a sepulchral monument erected in memory of a deceased person whose body is buried elsewhere.

Cenotaph

¹

/ ˈsɛnəˌtɑːf /

noun

1. the Cenotaph
   the monument in Whitehall, London, honouring the dead of both World Wars: designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens: erected in 1920

cenotaph

²

/ ˈsɛnəˌtɑːf /

noun

1. a monument honouring a dead person or persons buried elsewhere

Derived Forms

• ˌcenoˈtaphic, adjective

Other Words From

• cen·o·taph·ic [sen-, uh, -, taf, -ik], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cenotaph¹

1595–1605; < Latin cenotaphium < Greek kenotáphion, equivalent to kenó ( s ) empty + -taphion ( táph ( os ) tomb + -ion diminutive suffix)

Word History and Origins

Origin of cenotaph¹

C17: from Latin cenotaphium, from Greek kenotaphion, from kenos empty + taphos tomb

Example Sentences

Others think it may be a cenotaph, built to house Alexander himself but then left empty after Ptolemy made off with his body.

From The Daily Beast

Walking in the rain toward the cenotaph, I observed that about every other person wore a red paper poppy in the lapel.

From The Daily Beast

One of the figures guarding the Maximilian cenotaph wears a precisely similar hauberk.

From Project Gutenberg

And this self-denying ordinance speaks more for James Moore's love of his lost wife than many a lordly cenotaph.

From Project Gutenberg

This end might be attained by erecting a cenotaph in his honour in every churchyard and cemetery in England.

From Project Gutenberg

There were celebrations in the streets of London and a vast crowd visited the cenotaph and sang Rule Britannia.

From Project Gutenberg

It is an ingenious and brilliant addition to the public part of the tomb, to the cenotaph.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• gravestone
• headstone
• marker
• masterpiece
• mausoleum
• pillar
• shrine
• slab
• statue
• stele
• stone
• tablet
• testament
• tomb
• tombstone
• tribute