sarcophagus
Americannoun
plural
sarcophagi, sarcophaguses-
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.
noun
Etymology
Origin of sarcophagus
1595–1605; < Latin < Greek sarkophágos, noun use of the adj.; sarcophagous
Explanation
If you want to go out in style, buy yourself a sarcophagus — a very fancy coffin usually decorated with elaborate carvings. If King Tut could arrange it, so can you! Sarcophagus comes from the Greek word sarkophagos meaning "limestone used for coffins." But the Greek literally translates to mean "flesh-eating." Seems a bit gruesome, doesn't it? This translation makes sense when you figure that limestone was used in coffins because it quickly decomposed the body. These stone coffins are usually decorated with a sculpture or inscription and date back to the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Rome, and Greece.
Vocabulary lists containing sarcophagus
Ancient Egypt - Introductory
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Ancient Egypt - Middle School and High School
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Cemetery Boys
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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.
Inside the mind-blowing 2,000-year-old sarcophagus that was just unsealed.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 25, 2026
The sarcophagus only had a 30-year lifespan, prompting the need for the protective shell to prevent radioactive material leaking out over the next 100 years.
From BBC • Dec. 7, 2025
A room near the church’s apse contains fragments of a sarcophagus believed to be St. Neophytos’s.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 28, 2025
The boy king's gold-covered sarcophagus and his burial mask, inlaid with lapis lazuli, will take centre stage at Saturday's opening.
From Barron's • Oct. 31, 2025
“How are you recovering?” the queen asked, leaning against the side of her own sarcophagus.
From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
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.
