charnel-house
Definition
- Noun:
- A building or place where dead bodies or bones are stored: A "charnel house" is a repository for human remains, often bones, especially in a context of mass death or historical burial practices.
Usage Examples
- (A place filled with the remains of the dead.)
- (A building where bones were kept.)
Advanced Usage
- "a charnel house of history": A metaphorical use to describe a place or period marked by extreme death and destruction.
- The trenches of World War I were a charnel house of history. (A site of massive human loss.)
Variants and Related Words
- Charnel (adj): relating to a place where dead bodies are kept.
- The charnel odor of the tomb was overwhelming. (The smell of death and decay.)
Synonyms
- Bone house: a place for storing bones.
- Ossuary: a container or building for the bones of the dead.
- Mortuary: a place where dead bodies are kept before burial or cremation.
- Catacomb: an underground cemetery with tunnels and niches for bodies.
Related Idioms
- "a charnel house of ambition": A figurative expression meaning a situation where hopes or dreams are destroyed.
- The failed business venture became a charnel house of ambition for the young entrepreneurs. (A place where their dreams died.)