ossuary

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os·su·ar·y

O0140700 (ŏsh′o͞o-ĕr′ē, ŏs′yo͞o-)n. pl. os·su·ar·ies A container or receptacle, such as an urn or a vault, for holding the bones of the dead.

[Late Latin ossuārium, from neuter of Latin ossuārius, of bones, from os, oss-, bone; see ost- in Indo-European roots.]

ossuary

(ˈɒsjʊərɪ) n, pl -aries (Archaeology) any container for the burial of human bones, such as an urn or vault[C17: from Late Latin ossuārium, from Latin os bone]

os•su•ar•y

(ˈɒʃ uˌɛr i, ˈɒs yu-)

n., pl. -ar•ies. a place for the bones of the dead. [1650–60; < Latin ossuārium, derivative of ossu(a) bones]

ossuary

- From Latin os, "bone," it is any receptacle—urn, vault, etc.—for the bones of the dead.See also related terms for vault.

ossuarium, ossuary

a place or receptacle for the bones of the dead. See also death.See also: Bones

Thesaurus

Noun

ossuary - any receptacle for the burial of human bonesreceptacle - a container that is used to put or keep things in

ossuary

nounA burial place or receptacle for human remains:catacomb, cinerarium, crypt, grave, mausoleum, sepulcher, sepulture, tomb, vault.

Translations

Ossuary

a depository for the burial of the bones of the dead. In Russian archaeological literature the term ossuarii refers primarily to small ceramic, alabaster, and stone boxes in which Middle Asian Zoroastrians buried the bones of the dead. The oldest ossuaries, dating from the end of the first millennium B.C., were found in Khwarazm; they are in the form of statues and depict the deified dead. Ossuaries were revered in the ancestor cult that was particularly characteristic of the Middle Asian variant of Zoroastrianism. From the fifth to the eighth century they were widespread in Middle Asia; they sometimes took the form of funerary buildings decorated with reliefs. Late Khwarazmian ossuaries have been found decorated with multicolored paintings and with inscriptions in which ossuaries are called tapankuk.

REFERENCE

Rapoport, Iu. A. Iz istorii religii drevnego Khorezma (ossuarii). Moscow, 1971.

ossuary, bone house, ossarium

A storage place for the bones of the dead; either a structure or a vault lined with such bones ornamentally arranged.

ossuary

os·su·ar·y

ossuary

os•su•ar•y

ossuary

ossuarium, ossuary

ossuary

Ossuary

Ossuary

REFERENCE

ossuary, bone house, ossarium

ossuary

Synonyms for ossuary

noun a burial place or receptacle for human remains

Synonyms

Words related to ossuary

noun any receptacle for the burial of human bones

Related Words