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.

---

tumulus British  

/ ˈtjuːmjʊləs /

noun

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

---

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

The stones, or menhirs — some as tall as six feet — buttressed a massive capstone set in a tumulus, or a mound of earth and pebbles.

From New York Times

“What is this you keep talking about about not being here, and the tumulus and so on?”

From Literature

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

It's possible, he said, that when pyramid building came into fashion at Sedeinga it was combined with a local circle-building tradition called tumulus construction, resulting in pyramids with circles within them.

From Scientific American