ossuary

American  

[osh-oo-er-ee, os-] / ˈɒʃ uˌɛr i, ˈɒs- /

noun

plural

ossuaries

1. a place or receptacle for the bones of the dead.

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ossuary British  

/ ˈɒsjʊərɪ /

noun

1. any container for the burial of human bones, such as an urn or vault

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Etymology

Origin of ossuary

1650–60; < Late Latin ossuārium, variant of ossārium, equivalent to oss- (stem of os ) bone + -ārium -ary

Example Sentences

Those concepts interlace in his ossuary, enlivened when he plays his tenderly kept records, remnants of human joy all but lost to a Rage pestilence.

From Salon • Jan. 23, 2026

Southern California has always been an ossuary of failed publications done in by apathetic readership, clueless owners or a combination of both.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2024

He was buried in a specially designed crypt in the cathedral which he commissioned that will be the resting place of all future archbishops after the remains of their predecessors are transferred to an ossuary.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 12, 2022

I approach Place Denfert-Rochereau, where, if inclined, one can drop into the Paris Catacombs, the underground ossuary housing the bones of some 6 million souls.

From Washington Post • Jan. 7, 2022

A wall of stones was built around this vast ossuary to preserve it from profanation.

From An Introduction to the mortuary customs of the North American Indians by Yarrow, H. C. (Harry Crécy)