sarcophagus

[ sahr-kof-uh-guh s ]

/ sɑrˈkɒf ə gəs /

a stone coffin, especially one bearing sculpture, inscriptions, etc., often displayed as a monument.

Greek Antiquity. a kind of stone thought to consume the flesh of corpses, used for coffins.

Origin of sarcophagus

1595–1605; < Latin < Greek sarkophágos, noun use of the adj.; see sarcophagous

Prices start at around $1,000 for Greek-Roman coins (250 A.D.) and top $25,000 for ornate Sarcophagus lids.

Egyptian Tomb-Robbing Market Explodes on eBay |Bel Trew |May 31, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
But he has not launched a huge, historic initiative on which history has slammed the sarcophagus lid screaming “Failure!”

The Obama Political Obituaries Are Way Premature |Michael Tomasky |December 19, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
Recent budget cuts are just the last nail in the sarcophagus.

Italy’s Culture Falling to Ruins Amid Austerity Cuts |Barbie Latza Nadeau |September 19, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
At the Sarcophagus, things which had all been wet enough before became saturated with drift which turned to ice.

The Home of the Blizzard |Douglas Mawson

In an interesting Cretan sarcophagus from Hagia Triada the life-giving power is tripled.

The Evolution of the Dragon |G. Elliot Smith
That will furnish a pedestal which would befit the sarcophagus of a king.

Adrift in the Ice-Fields |Charles W. Hall
They knelt down, each in turn, before the sarcophagus, and put their lips to it.

Thais |Anatole France
By this means I saw the entire front of the sarcophagus, which appeared to me to be made of unpolished grey marble.

Jerusalem Explored, Volume I--Text |Ermete Pierotti

sarcophagus

/ (sɑːˈkɒfəɡəs) /

a stone or marble coffin or tomb, esp one bearing sculpture or inscriptions

C17: via Latin from Greek sarkophagos flesh-devouring; from the type of stone used, which was believed to destroy the flesh of corpses