catacomb
/ˈkatəkuːm
/ /ˈkatəkəʊm/noun (usually catacombs)
1An underground cemetery consisting of a subterranean gallery with recesses for tombs, as constructed by the ancient Romans.While their Roman counterparts worshipped in catacombs and underground vaults, the Egyptian Christians built their churches openly and performed their ceremonies in full view of the Empire....
- The catacombs are the ancient underground cemeteries used by the Christians and the Jewish people in Rome.
- Megalithic temples that predate the Egyptian pyramids, Bronze Age archaeological sites, Phoenician inscriptions, and Roman catacombs all contribute to a sense of nationhood.
Synonyms
underground cemetery, sepulchre, crypt, vault, mausoleum, tomb, ossuary;
tunnels, labyrinth, maze
1.1An underground construction resembling or compared to catacombs.And because of its sudden notoriety, the Hell-Fire Club had to move from the abbey at Medmenham to a hidden warren of Gothic catacombs Sir Francis created at his nearby estate, some 30 miles north-west of London....
- He lived in dangerous times, so he constructed several secret passageways and catacombs underneath the city and inside the castle.
- Badgers actually live together in large underground catacombs called ‘setts.’
Origin
Old English, from late Latin catacumbas, the name of the subterranean cemetery of St Sebastian near Rome.