necropolis

[nuh-krop-uh-lis, ne-]

noun

plural

necropolises 

1. a cemetery, especially one of large size and usually of an ancient city.

2. a historic or prehistoric burial ground.

necropolis

/ nɛˈkrɒpəlɪs /

noun

1. a burial site or cemetery

Other Word Forms

• necropolitan adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of necropolis¹

First recorded in 1810–20, necropolis is from the Greek word nekrópolis burial place (literally, city of the dead). See necro-, -polis

Word History and Origins

Origin of necropolis¹

C19: Greek, from nekros dead + polis city

Example Sentences

Today the glamorous necropolis is “the jewel in the crown of cemetery tourism,” Mr. Gallot notes.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

A regional court recently struck down a project proposed near Pranu Muttedu, a Neolithic necropolis that has been called the Sardinian Stonehenge.

Read more on Salon

On 23 October, the IDF issued evacuation orders for neighbourhoods close to the city's Roman ruins, including the remains of a necropolis and a hippodrome.

Read more on BBC

With World War II and the Holocaust, Hitler and the Nazis tried to turn Europe and the world into a necropolis — and they almost succeeded.

Read more on Salon

His necropolis, or burial ground, stands out on the landscape because it also includes the Sphinx, a mysterious limestone monument with the body of a lion and the head of a pharaoh.

Read more on National Geographic