cemetery
n.a large area of land where dead people are buried. You usually find these places away from churches, often with many stone markers for the graves.
n.a large burial ground, especially one not located in a churchyard. Typically used to refer to secular or municipal sites rather than religious ones.
“The old cemetery is full of beautiful stone statues.”
“The city council decided to expand the local cemetery to accommodate the growing population.”
“Walking through the historic cemetery, one can trace the town's lineage through the weathered inscriptions on the Victorian-era headstones.”
Often used with the definite article 'the' when referring to a specific local site.
“Maltbie died in 1807 at age 48 and is buried in Stamford’s North Street Cemetery .”
“Last year, Christian leaders say fires were deliberately set near the church and its adjoining cemetery.”
From Middle English cimiterie, from Old French cimitiere, from Medieval Latin cimitērium, from Late Latin coemētērium, from Ancient Greek κοιμητήριον (koimētḗrion), from κοιμάω (koimáō, “I put to sleep”); compare cœmeterium. Displaced Middle English charnel (“mass grave, cemetery”) and Old English līctūn (“cemetery”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.