ossuary
noun
a place or receptacle for the bones of the dead.
ossuaries
-
pluralof ossuary.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
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.
Lasting art can be mysterious and often misunderstood; this can also be said of ossuaries.
From Salon ● Jan. 23, 2026
His “Ruins of Rome” etchings depict landmarks like the Pantheon and the Castel Sant’Angelo, but its most famous images show rubble-strewn gardens and crumbling bridges, and tricorn-hatted gentlemen wandering through collapsed temples and overgrown ossuaries.
From New York Times ● Jun. 25, 2021
Two days later, the Vatican said ossuaries had been found under the pavement of an area inside the Pontifical Teutonic College, covered by a manhole, and would be opened this weekend.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 20, 2019
Gisotti told local Vatican media on Saturday that the two ossuaries are in “an area adjacent to the princesses' tombs” and that the works are carried out as “according to international protocols,” the BBC reported.
From Fox News ● Jul. 20, 2019
The old custom of way-side ossuaries contributed no doubt towards keeping strongly before the people the symbol and image of the great King.
From Essays in the Study of Folk-Songs (1886) by Countess Evelyn Martinengo-Cesaresco
