Necrolith
/ˈnɛk.rəʊ.lɪθ/noun
A stone associated with the dead, especially a gravestone, funerary stone, or stone monument connected with burial.
Did you know?The first element, Greek nekros, also appears in necromancy—originally the practice of divination through the dead—while lithos survives in words such as monolith.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*nek-
“To perish or die; a proposed ancestor of Greek nekros and Latin words connected with death or harm.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
νεκρός (nekrós)
“Dead body, corpse, or dead person.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
λίθος (líthos)
“Stone.”
Modern scientific coinage
Greek-derived English
necro- + -lith
“A compound formation meaning “dead” or “pertaining to the dead” plus “stone.””
Modern English
English
necrolith
“A funerary or death-associated stone, including a gravestone or related monument.”
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