mausoleum
/ˌmɔːsəˈlɪəm
/ /ˌmɔːzəˈlɪəm/noun (plural mausolea /ˌmɔːsəˈlɪə/ /ˌmɔːzəˈlɪə/ or mausoleums)
A stately or impressive building housing a tomb or group of tombs: the cathedral was built in 1517 as a royal mausoleum figurative a cultural mausoleum such as the Tate...
- Between this and the canal we discovered warehouses, mausolea and other buildings that fronted on to the road.
- So now when I go to one of our fabulous temples or palaces or mosques or mausoleums, I will see them for what they are.
- The most painful result of this shortage can be seen in mausoleums (small buildings for burial above ground) of cemeteries of Cairo, Egypt's capital city.
Synonyms
tomb, sepulchre, crypt, vault, charnel house, burial chamber, catacomb, undercroft
Origin
Late 15th century: via Latin from Greek Mausōleion, from Mausōlos, the name of a king of Caria (4th century bc), to whose tomb in Halicarnassus the name was originally applied.
This word came via Latin from Greek Mausōleion, from Mausōlos, the name of a king of Caria in the 4th century bc. It was originally applied to his tomb in Halicarnassus.