Catacomb
/ˈkæt.ə.koʊm/noun
An underground cemetery or network of subterranean burial chambers.
Did you know?The term originally referred to the area around the Catacombs of St. Callixtus in Rome, and only later came to mean any underground burial maze.
Etymological Timeline
Greek
Greek
kata kumbas
“down by the hollows or sink-holes”
Late Latin
Latin
catacumbae
“the Catacombs area near the Appian Way in Rome”
Early Medieval
Latin
catacumba
“a burial place associated with the Roman catacombs”
14th Century
English
catacomb
“an underground cemetery or burial chamber”
Modern English
English
catacomb
“an underground cemetery or network of burial chambers”