loculus

[ lok-yuh-luhs ]

noun

, plural loc·u·li [lok, -y, uh, -lahy, -lee].

1. Biology. locule.
2. Ecclesiastical. a compartment in an altar, in which relics are kept.
3. a recess in an ancient catacomb or tomb, where a body or cinerary urn was placed.

Other Words From

• inter·locu·lus noun plural interloculi

Word History and Origins

Origin of loculus¹

1855–60; < New Latin, special use of Latin loculus, diminutive of locus place; locus, -ule

Example Sentences

It boasted ornately carved on the lintels around the entrance, inside were niches to house the dead called "loculi", each sealed with a portrait of the deceased, carved in limestone.

From BBC

The passages are lined with the usual loculi for the dead, sometimes adapted for a single body, sometimes for two laid together.

From Project Gutenberg

The seeds are immersed in pulp, and are attached irregularly to the wall, base and centre of the loculi.

From Project Gutenberg

The picture we are about to examine is found over a loculus or grave in this cemetery of Priscilla.

From Project Gutenberg

The original entrance to the cemetery leads directly into a spacious corridor with no loculi, but recesses for sarcophagi, and decorations of the classical style of the 2nd century.

From Project Gutenberg