tomb

[ toom ]

noun

1. an excavation in earth or rock for the burial of a corpse; grave.
2. a mausoleum, burial chamber, or the like.
3. a monument for housing or commemorating a dead person.
4. any sepulchral structure.

verb (used with object)

1. to place in or as if in a tomb; entomb; bury.

tomb

/ tuːm /

noun

1. a place, esp a vault beneath the ground, for the burial of a corpse
2. a stone or other monument to the dead
3. the tomb
   a poetic term for death
4. anything serving as a burial place

   the sea was his tomb

verb

1. rare.
   tr to place in a tomb; entomb

Derived Forms

• ˈtombˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• tombal adjective
• tombless adjective
• tomblike adjective
• un·tombed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of tomb¹

1225–75; Middle English tumbe < Anglo-French; Old French tombe < Late Latin tumba < Greek týmbos burial mound; akin to Latin tumēre to swell. See tumor, tumulus

Word History and Origins

Origin of tomb¹

C13: from Old French tombe, from Late Latin tumba burial mound, from Greek tumbos; related to Latin tumēre to swell, Middle Irish tomm hill

Example Sentences

More than 20 years in the making, the sprawling 120-acre Grand Egyptian Museum near the pyramids of Giza, will showcase more than 100,000 objects, including treasures from the tomb of King Tutankhamun.

From BBC

“The art of cheesemaking is referenced in ancient Greek mythology, and evidence of cheese and its production has been discovered in Egyptian tomb murals dating back over 4,000 years,” they write.

From Salon

Sunni Muslims are the majority in Bangladesh, and radicals consider shrines and tombs of revered figures un-Islamic.

From BBC

The tomb is now a brick wall with wood over it.

From BBC

It is once thought to have held the tombs of Mercian kings but was likely ransacked, along with the neighbouring monastery, when the Vikings seized the town.

From BBC

Related Words

• burial
• coffin
• mausoleum
• monument
• pit
• vault