noun
sarcophagus
sar-KAH-fuh-guhs/sɑːrˈkɑːfəɡəs/
A stone coffin, often decorated, used for burial.
The museum displays a carved sarcophagus from an ancient tomb.
Etymology
“Flesh-eating” originally described limestone believed to decompose bodies quickly. The name shifted from this coffin-making stone to the stone coffin itself.
In context
tomb was ransacked in antiquity, like most wealthy burial sites in ancient Egypt. Though the body and his treasures are gone, Miroslav spots something unusual on the inside of the sarcophagus.
More examples
- Workers carefully lift the heavy lid off the sarcophagus.
- Two stone sarcophagi stand side by side in the crypt.
- The sarcophagus is decorated with scenes from the ruler's life.
Forms
sarcophagus · sarcophagi · sarcophaguses