catacomb

cat·a·comb  (kt-km)

n.

1. An underground cemetery consisting of chambers or tunnels with recesses for graves. Often used in the plural.

2. An underground, often labyrinthine passageway.

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[Probably French catacombe, from Old French, from Late Latin catacumba.]

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catacomb [ˈkætəˌkəʊm -ˌkuːm]

n

1. (Miscellaneous Technologies / Building) (usually plural) an underground burial place, esp the galleries at Rome, consisting of tunnels with vaults or niches leading off them for tombs

2. (Miscellaneous Technologies / Building) (Earth Sciences / Physical Geography) a series of interconnected underground tunnels or caves

[Old English catacumbe, from Late Latin catacumbas (singular), name of the cemetery under the Basilica of St Sebastian, near Rome; origin unknown]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

catacomb - an underground tunnel with recesses where bodies were buried (as in ancient Rome) tunnel - a passageway through or under something, usually underground (especially one for trains or cars); "the tunnel reduced congestion at that intersection" capital of Italy, Eternal City, Italian capital, Rome, Roma - capital and largest city of Italy; on the Tiber; seat of the Roman Catholic Church; formerly the capital of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire antiquity - the historic period preceding the Middle Ages in Europe