tomb
n. · v.-
1 burial structure (n.) B2 Upper Intermediate Archaeologya stone building or underground room where a dead person is buried.
a large vault, typically stone, for burying the dead; often refers to an above-ground monument or a formal chamber in a cemetery.
ExampleThe archaeologists carefully opened the ancient tomb to look for gold and pottery.
ExampleThe valley is famous for the elaborate tombs of ancient kings, which were carved directly into the limestone cliffs thousands of years ago.
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2 a grave (n.) B2 Upper Intermediateany hole or pit in the ground where a body is placed.
a place of burial; used broadly to describe any grave or pit used for depositing human remains.
ExampleThey discovered a simple tomb dating back to the Bronze Age.
ExampleThe excavation revealed a communal tomb containing the remains of several dozen villagers, suggesting a sudden and catastrophic event.
- grave
- burial place
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3 death (n.) C2 Proficiency Literarya poetic way to talk about death.
a metonym for death or the state of being dead.
ExampleThe old stories say the king's secrets followed him to the tomb.
ExampleThe poet reflects on how the glories of the world are eventually silenced by the cold embrace of the tomb.
- death
- the grave
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4 to bury (v.) C2 Proficiency Literary Archaicto place a body in a grave or vault.
to serve as a place of burial for; to inter or enshrine a body.
ExampleThe fallen hero was tombed with great honour in the cathedral.
ExampleThe ancient chronicles describe how the emperor was tombed in a secret location to protect his remains from grave robbers.
- exhume
- dig up
From Middle English tombe, toumbe, borrowed from Old French tombe, from Latin tumba from Ancient Greek τύμβος (túmbos, “a sepulchral mound, tomb, grave”), probably from Proto-Indo-European *tewh₂- (“to swell”). The verb is from Middle English tomben.
- Nountomb
- Nountombstone