catacomb

n. 地下墓穴, 地窖

发音

UK /ˈkætəkuːm/
UK /ˈkætəkəʊm/
US /ˈkætəkoʊm/
US /ˈkætəkum/

词形变化

catacombs 复数 catacombs

释义与例句

n.
  1. 1.

    An underground system of tunnels and chambers with recesses for graves, used (in former times) as a cemetery; a tunnel system used for burying the dead, as in Paris or Ancient Rome.

    地下墓穴

    千人冢

    Meronyms: crypt, ossuary

词汇关系

名词

上位词 1

tunnel

词源

From Middle English catacombe, from Old English catacumbe, catacumbas pl, from Late Latin catacumbae pl, name of the underground cemetery of St. Sebastian in Rome, of unclear origin. Perhaps a dissimilation (influenced by *cumbō (“to lie, recline”)) of Late Latin cata tumbās (literally “among the tombs”) (from Ancient Greek κατά (katá, “under”) and τύμβος (túmbos, “tomb”)). Some sources suggest Ancient Greek κύμβη (kúmbē, “drinking vessel”) as an alternative etymon, but the semantic link is unclear.

来源：wiktionary