tholos

American  

[thoh-los, -lohs] / ˈθoʊ lɒs, -loʊs /

noun

tholoi plural

1. (in classical architecture)

   1. a circular building.

   2. a small, round structure, as a lantern.

   3. a circular subterranean tomb, lined with masonry.

2. a subterranean domed tomb chamber of the Mycenaean age.

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tholos British  

/ ˈθəʊlɒs /

noun

1. a dry-stone beehive-shaped tomb associated with the Mycenaean culture of Greece in the 16th to the 12th century _bc

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• tholoi
  plural

Etymology

Origin of tholos

First recorded in 1895–1900, tholos is from the Greek word thólos literally, rotunda

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tholos tholoi

Also, monumental architecture, including many tholos tombs, was excavated at Mycene in the 19th century.

From New York Times ● Dec. 17, 2019

When they did find the first tholos tomb, they realized to their horror that another excavator had been at work before them, using a backhoe.

From New York Times ● Dec. 17, 2019

Fortunately the huge stones of the tholos tomb prevented even the backhoe operator from making much progress or destroying the site’s archaeological value.

From New York Times ● Dec. 17, 2019

Both were originally built in a beehive shape known as a tholos but had collapsed.

From New York Times ● Dec. 17, 2019

When Pausanias speaks of the tholos at Epidaurus a second time, he does not call it by that name, but οἱκημα περιφερἑϛ.

From Problems in Periclean Buildings by Elderkin, G. W. (George Wicker)

Similarly we ought perhaps to disclaim any direct connection between the corridor-tombs of the megalithic area and the great tholoi of Crete and the Greek mainland.

From Rough Stone Monuments and Their Builders by Peet, T. Eric (Thomas Eric)