sepulchre

[ sep-uh l-ker ]
/ ˈsɛp əl kər /

noun, verb (used with object), sep·ul·chred, sep·ul·chring. Chiefly British.

Definition for sepulchre (2 of 2)

sepulcher
[ sep-uhl-ker ]
/ ˈsɛp əl kər /

noun

a tomb, grave, or burial place.
Also called Easter sepulcher. Ecclesiastical.
  1. a cavity in a mensa for containing relics of martyrs.
  2. a structure or a recess in some old churches in which the Eucharist was deposited with due ceremonies on Good Friday and taken out at Easter in commemoration of Christ's entombment and Resurrection.

verb (used with object)

to place in a sepulcher; bury.
Also especially British, sep·ul·chre.

Origin of sepulcher

1150–1200; Middle English sepulcre < Old French < Latin sepulcrum, equivalent to sepul- (variant stem of sepelīre to bury) + -crum noun suffix of place

SYNONYMS FOR sepulcher

OTHER WORDS FROM sepulcher

un·sep·ul·cher, verb (used with object)

Example sentences from the Web for sepulchre

British Dictionary definitions for sepulchre

sepulchre

US sepulcher

/ (ˈsɛpəlkə) /

noun

a burial vault, tomb, or grave
Also called: Easter sepulchre a separate alcove in some medieval churches in which the Eucharistic elements were kept from Good Friday until the Easter ceremonies

verb

(tr) to bury in a sepulchre

Word Origin for sepulchre

C12: from Old French sépulcre, from Latin sepulcrum, from sepelīre to bury