sepulcher

American  

[sep-uhl-ker] / ˈsɛp əl kər /

especially British, sepulchre

noun

1. a tomb, grave, or burial place.

   Synonyms:

   crypt, mausoleum, vault

2. Also called Easter sepulcher.  Ecclesiastical.

   1. a cavity in a mensa for containing relics of martyrs.

   2. a structure or a recess in some old churches in which the Eucharist was deposited with due ceremonies on Good Friday and taken out at Easter in commemoration of Christ's entombment and Resurrection.

---

verb (used with object)

1. to place in a sepulcher; bury.

Other Word Forms

• unsepulcher
  verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of sepulcher

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English sepulcre, from Old French, from Latin sepulcrum, equivalent to sepul- (variant stem of sepelīre “to bury”) + -crum noun suffix of place

Explanation

A sepulcher is a burial vault or tomb, like the one that is featured prominently in the final scenes of Romeo and Juliet. (Of course, for those who haven’t read the play yet, we’re not suggesting that anyone dies, necessarily.) Sepulchers often appear in literature, probably because they instantly convey sadness, spookiness, and all sorts of other unpleasant emotions. For example, Edgar Allen Poe’s poem “Annabel Lee” tells the story of the narrator's true love, who now lies “[i]n the sepulcher there by the sea.” When reading "Annabel Lee," Romeo and Juliet, and other similarly depressing works aloud, note that sepulcher is pronounced with the emphasis on the first syllable.

Example Sentences

Paul Agnew, who directed and sang tenor in the six-voice ensemble, constructed the hour-long program as a meditation on the origin of the Holy Sepulcher.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 4, 2025

The ceremony marking its return was led by a procession attended by members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher - a Catholic order of knighthood.

From BBC • Dec. 13, 2024

One of the most chaotic gatherings in the Christian calendar is the ancient ceremony of the “Holy Fire,” with worshipers thronging the Church of the Holy Sepulcher on Saturday.

From Seattle Times • May 4, 2024

Many from that diaspora are buried in Holy Sepulcher, including both of my maternal grandparents, family friends and cousins — and, one day, myself.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2024

He led them up winding alleyways and down ancient stairs to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher he'd been telling them about for years.

From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye