sepulchre

[ sep-uhl-ker ]

noun

, Chiefly British.

, sep·ul·chred, sep·ul·chring.

1. sepulcher.

sepulchre

/ ˈsɛpəlkə /

noun

1. a burial vault, tomb, or grave
2. Also calledEaster sepulchre a separate alcove in some medieval churches in which the Eucharistic elements were kept from Good Friday until the Easter ceremonies

verb

1. tr to bury in a sepulchre

Word History and Origins

Origin of sepulchre¹

C12: from Old French sépulcre, from Latin sepulcrum, from sepelīre to bury

Example Sentences

In the back of the room was a marble fireplace, big as a sepulchre, and a globed gasolier—dripping with prisms and strings of crystal beading—sparkled in the dim.

From Literature

The house was a sepulchre, our fear and suffering lay buried in the ruins.

From Literature

En route, we passed a cemetery with a series of gravestones and sepulchres painted ornately with American flags, an indication that the deceased had died as immigrants in the U.S.

From The New Yorker

With the crackling warmth of the fire and the smell of purifying incense the room seemed less of a sepulchre.

From Literature

Singing and bearing candles, the nuns leave the choir and follow the priest to the sepulchre.

From Literature