sarcophagus

[ sahr-kof-uh-guhs ]

See synonyms for sarcophagus on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural sar·coph·a·gi

[sahr-kof-uh-jahy], /sɑrˈkɒf əˌdʒaɪ/, sar·coph·a·gus·es.

a stone coffin, especially one bearing sculpture, inscriptions, etc., often displayed as a monument.
Greek Antiquity. a kind of stone thought to consume the flesh of corpses, used for coffins.

Origin of sarcophagus

1595–1605; <Latin <Greek sarkophágos, noun use of the adj.; see sarcophagous

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

How to use sarcophagus in a sentence

Tall iron gates between the arches enclose the graves, which are marked with massive sarcophagi of Scotch granite.
British Highways And Byways From A Motor Car | Thomas D. Murphy
A marble lattice-work, six feet high, surrounding the two sarcophagi, is a masterpiece of art.
A Woman's Journey Round the World | Ida Pfeiffer
The interior is filled with sarcophagi, in which lie the remains either of relations or favourite ministers of the Sultan Akbar.
A Woman's Journey Round the World | Ida Pfeiffer
In adjoining halls, under plain sarcophagi, rest the remains of several wives and children of the Emperor Humaione.
A Woman's Journey Round the World | Ida Pfeiffer
The same may be said of the sarcophagi in the principal temple, which is hewn out of a block of fine white marble.
A Woman's Journey Round the World | Ida Pfeiffer

British Dictionary definitions for sarcophagus

sarcophagus

/ (sɑːˈkɒfəɡəs) /

nounplural -gi (-ˌɡaɪ) or -guses

a stone or marble coffin or tomb, esp one bearing sculpture or inscriptions

Origin of sarcophagus

C17: via Latin from Greek sarkophagos flesh-devouring; from the type of stone used, which was believed to destroy the flesh of corpses

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

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