sarcophagus

noun

sar·​coph·​a·​gus sär-ˈkä-fə-gəs 

plural sarcophagi sär-ˈkä-fə-ˌgī 

-ˌjī,

-ˌgē

also sarcophaguses

: a stone coffin

broadly : coffin

Did you know?

Body-eating coffins might sound like something out of a horror film, but flesh-eating stone? The latter plays a role in the etymology of sarcophagus; it is the literal translation of líthos sarkóphagos, the Greek phrase that underlies the English term. The phrase traveled through Latin between Greek and English, taking on the form lapis sarcophagus before being shortened to sarcophagus. It's not clear whether the ancient Romans believed that a certain type of limestone from the region around Troy would dissolve flesh (and thus was desirable for making coffins). That assertion came from Roman scholar Pliny the Elder, but he also reported such phenomena as dog-headed people and elephants who wrote Greek. Regardless, there is no doubt that the ancient Greek word for the limestone combined sárx, meaning "flesh," with a derivative of phagein, a verb meaning "to eat."

Synonyms

• bier
• box
• casket
• coffin
• pall

Examples of sarcophagus in a Sentence

the crypt under the abbey church contains the sarcophagus of the monastery's founding abbot

Recent Examples on the Web

The first-ever Disney Channel Original Movie, Under Wraps was released on Oct. 25, 1997, and starred Bill Fagerbakke as a mummy trying to reunite with his sarcophagus before the end of Halloween. —Brendan Le, People.com, 9 Oct. 2024

The committee opted for Maggi Hambling’s bust of Wilde, which emerges from a bench-like granite sarcophagus inscribed with a quote from the writer’s play, Lady Windermere’s Fan. —George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 23 Sep. 2024

Last year, an ancient wooden sarcophagus at the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences was returned to Egypt after U.S. authorities deemed it was stolen. —Charlene Gubash, NBC News, 9 Sep. 2024

Giza Museum’s showstoppers will include King Tut’s golden sarcophagus and a 3,200-year-old sculpture of pharaoh Rameses II, which will hold court near the museum’s main staircase. —The Editors Of Artnews, ARTnews.com, 6 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin, after lapis sarcophagus "kind of stone with caustic properties used for coffins," partial translation of Greek líthos sarkóphagos, literally, "flesh-eating stone"; sarkóphagos from sarko- sarco- + -phagos -phagous

First Known Use

1619, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

sarcophagus

noun

sar·​coph·​a·​gus sär-ˈkäf-ə-gəs 

plural sarcophagi -ˌgī 

-ˌjī,

-ˌgē

also sarcophaguses

: a stone coffin