columbarium
[ kol-uh m-bair-ee-uh m ]
/ ˌkɒl əmˈbɛər i əm /
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noun, plural col·um·bar·i·a [kol-uh m-bair-ee-uh] /ˌkɒl əmˈbɛər i ə/.
a sepulchral vault or other structure with recesses in the walls to receive the ashes of the dead.
any one of these recesses.
Nearby words
colugo, colum, colum, padraic, columba, columba, saint, columbarium, columbary, columbate, columbia, columbia heights, columbia mental maturity scale
Origin of columbarium
1840–50; < Latin: literally, a nesting box for pigeons, equivalent to columb(a) pigeon, dove + -ārium -ary
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for columbarium
British Dictionary definitions for columbarium
columbarium
/ (ˌkɒləmˈbɛərɪəm) /
noun plural -ia (-ɪə)
another name for a dovecote
a vault having niches for funeral urns
a hole in a wall into which a beam is inserted
Word Origin for columbarium
C18: from Latin, from columba dove
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for columbarium
columbarium
"subterranean sepulchre in ancient Roman places with niches for urns holding remains," neuter of Latin columbarius, "dove-cote" (so called from resemblance), literally "pertaining to doves;" from columba "dove." Literal sense of "dove-cote" is attested in English from 1881.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper