columbarium

[ kol-uhm-bair-ee-uhm ]

noun

, plural col·um·bar·i·a [kol-, uh, m-, bair, -ee-, uh].

1. a sepulchral vault or other structure with recesses in the walls to receive the ashes of the dead.
2. any one of these recesses.
3. columbary.

columbarium

/ ˌkɒləmˈbɛərɪəm /

noun

1. another name for a dovecote
2. a vault having niches for funeral urns
3. a hole in a wall into which a beam is inserted

Word History and Origins

Origin of columbarium¹

1840–50; < Latin: literally, a nesting box for pigeons, equivalent to columb ( a ) pigeon, dove + -ārium -ary

Word History and Origins

Origin of columbarium¹

C18: from Latin, from columba dove

Example Sentences

Mei and Shing casually dismiss Angie’s insistence that Pat wanted to have her ashes scattered at sea, instead heeding the advice of their fortuneteller, arranging for a traditional ritual and internment in a columbarium.

From Los Angeles Times

Her remains are stored in one of a series of ornate lockers in the columbarium of a Buddhist temple in Hsinchu, second from the bottom, just a few feet away from my uncle, her son.

From Los Angeles Times

If she left behind enough money in her estate, her ashes would go into an individual niche with a nameplate in a columbarium, where urns are stored.

From Seattle Times

Small armies of landscapers tend to lush grass and rolling hills, where private roads with names like “Memory Lane” and “Baby Land” lead upward past maximalist mausoleums, columbaria and replica Renaissance statuary.

From New York Times

At a columbarium, there is little to sweep and not enough space for elaborate altar spreads.

From New York Times