columbarium
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A sepulchral vault or other structure with recesses in the walls to hold cinerary urns: A building or room, often part of a cemetery or church, designed with small compartments (niches) to store urns containing the cremated ashes of the deceased.
- A niche for a funeral urn containing the ashes of the cremated dead: An individual recess or compartment within a columbarium structure, intended to hold a single urn.
- A birdhouse for pigeons: A structure with compartments for pigeons or doves to nest. This meaning is derived from the Latin word for dove, columba.
Usage Examples
- Noun (sepulchral vault):
- Her family chose to place the urn in the columbarium at the local cemetery.
- The ancient Roman columbarium was discovered during the archaeological dig.
- Noun (individual niche):
- They purchased a columbarium for their grandfather's ashes.
- Noun (birdhouse):
- The old stone columbarium on the estate housed dozens of pigeons.
Advanced Usage
- "Columbarium wall": A specific type of structure, often a freestanding wall, containing many niches for urns.
- The memorial garden features a beautiful columbarium wall.
- The term is used formally in contexts related to funeral services, architecture, and archaeology.
Variants and Related Words
- Columbaria (n): The plural form of columbarium.
- Several ancient columbaria were found on the site.
- Cinerarium (n): A place for keeping the ashes of the dead after cremation; often used synonymously with columbarium in a general sense.
Synonyms
- Niche wall: (for the sepulchral structure)
- Urn vault: (for the sepulchral structure)
- Cinerary niche: (for the individual compartment)
- Dovecote: (for the birdhouse structure)
Related Phrases
- To be interred in a columbarium: The formal phrase for having one's ashes placed in such a structure.
- According to her wishes, she was cremated and interred in a columbarium.
Noun
- a sepulchral vault or other structure having recesses in the walls to receive cinerary urns
- a niche for a funeral urn containing the ashes of the cremated dead
- a birdhouse for pigeons