Herculaneum

[ hur-kyuh-ley-nee-uhm ]

/ ˌhɜr kyəˈleɪ ni əm /

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noun

an ancient city in SW Italy, on the Bay of Naples: buried along with Pompeii by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in a.d. 79; partially excavated.

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OTHER WORDS FROM Herculaneum

Her·cu·la·ne·an, Her·cu·la·nen·sian

[hur-kyuh-luh-nen-shuhn, -see-uhn], /ˌhɜr kyə ləˈnɛn ʃən, -si ən/, adjective

Words nearby Herculaneum

herb patience, herb Robert, herby, Hercegovina, Herceptin, Herculaneum, herculean, Hercules, Hercules beetle, Hercules-club, Hercynian

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Herculaneum in a sentence

During the height of Mount Vesuvius' eruption, Pliny the Elder sent boats to rescue survivors from the beach at Herculaneum, which lies northwest of Pompeii and almost due west of the volcano.
Mount Vesuvius victims died just moments away from rescue|Kiona N. Smith|May 14, 2021|Ars Technica
Pliny the Elder was a Roman naturalist and author who also found time to command the imperial fleet in the port city of Misenum, across the Bay of Naples from Pompeii and Herculaneum.
Mount Vesuvius victims died just moments away from rescue|Kiona N. Smith|May 14, 2021|Ars Technica
The oldest Roman books of this sort that have been preserved were found in Herculaneum, badly charred and broken.
The Private Life of the Romans|Harold Whetstone Johnston
Past Herculaneum, now partly unburied, and so to gay Naples, where the sun is breaking out.
Round the Wonderful World|G. E. Mitton

Herculaneum was buried under thirty metres of liquid lava, but Pompeii was buried only roof-high under cinders.
Italian Highways and Byways from a Motor Car|Francis Miltoun
Herculaneum remains intact and undespoiled, as it was more than eighteen centuries ago.
Italian Highways and Byways from a Motor Car|Francis Miltoun
Chipping off the baked ashes—in Herculaneum, say—and coming upon the lucid marble of some perfect statue?
Pippin; A Wandering Flame|Laura E. Richards

British Dictionary definitions for Herculaneum

Herculaneum

/ (ˌhɜːkjʊˈleɪnɪəm) /

noun

an ancient city in SW Italy, of marked Greek character, on the S slope of Vesuvius: buried along with Pompeii by an eruption of the volcano (79 ad). Excavation has uncovered well preserved streets, houses, etc

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012