tumulus

American  

[too-myuh-luhs, tyoo-] / ˈtu myə ləs, ˈtyu- /

noun

plural

tumuluses, tumuli

1. Archaeology. an artificial mound, especially over a grave; barrow.

2. Geology. a domelike swelling or mound formed in congealed lava.

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tumulus British  

/ ˈtjuːmjʊləs /

noun

1. archaeol (no longer in technical usage) another word for barrow 2

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Etymology

Origin of tumulus

1680–90; < Latin: mound, swelling, equivalent to tum ( ēre ) to swell + -ulus -ule

Example Sentences

Last summer, archaeologists and a metal detectorist conducted a small survey of the tumulus on behalf of the Norwegian Directorate for Culture Heritage.

From New York Times • May 31, 2024

Both the capstone and the tumulus were dismantled in 1925 during an excavation led by Hugo Obermaier, a Spanish-German anthropologist and prehistorian.

From New York Times • Sep. 9, 2022

Bassett said afterward that the site includes an apron of riprap around the men’s tumulus, which is in a ravine.

From Washington Times • Sep. 27, 2015

Bassett said he was sitting on a pile of boulders when he realized that the rocks were the top layer of a tumulus, an archaeological term for a burial chamber or sepulcher.

From Washington Times • Sep. 27, 2015

The call sounded from far away, and Wart found himself standing by the side of an ancient tumulus, like an enormous mole hill, with a Mack hole in front of him.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White