loculus
Americannoun
plural
loculi-
Biology. locule.
-
Ecclesiastical. a compartment in an altar, in which relics are kept.
-
a recess in an ancient catacomb or tomb, where a body or cinerary urn was placed.
Other Word Forms
- interloculus noun
Etymology
Origin of loculus
1855–60; < New Latin, special use of Latin loculus, diminutive of locus place; locus, -ule
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It boasted ornately carved on the lintels around the entrance, inside were niches to house the dead called "loculi", each sealed with a portrait of the deceased, carved in limestone.
From BBC
The passages are lined with the usual loculi for the dead, sometimes adapted for a single body, sometimes for two laid together.
From Project Gutenberg
The seeds are immersed in pulp, and are attached irregularly to the wall, base and centre of the loculi.
From Project Gutenberg
The picture we are about to examine is found over a loculus or grave in this cemetery of Priscilla.
From Project Gutenberg
These loculi were usually constructed for a single body only.
From Project Gutenberg
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
