sar·coph·a·gus (sär-k f  -gs)n. pl. sar·coph·a·gi (-j   ) or sar·coph·a·gus·es A stone coffin, often inscribed or decorated with sculpture. [Latin, from Greek sarkophagos, coffin, from (lithos) sarkophagos, limestone that consumed the flesh of corpses laid in it : sarx, sark-, flesh + -phagos, -phagous.] Word History: Sarcophagus, our term for a stone coffin located above ground and often decorated, has a macabre origin befitting a macabre thing. The word comes to us from Latin and Greek, having been derived in Greek from sarx, "flesh," and phagein, "to eat." The Greek word sarkophagos meant "eating flesh," and in the phrase lithos ("stone") sarkophagos it denoted a limestone that was thought to decompose the flesh of corpses placed in it. Used by itself as a noun the Greek term came to mean "coffin." The term was carried over into Latin, where sarcophagus was used in the phrase lapis ("stone") sarcophagus, referring to the same stone as in Greek. Sarcophagus used as a noun in Latin meant "coffin of any material." This Latin word was borrowed into English, first being recorded in 1601 with reference to the flesh-consuming stone and then in 1705 with reference to a stone coffin. |
sarcophagus [sɑːˈkɒfəgəs]
n pl -gi [-ˌgaɪ], -guses
a stone or marble coffin or tomb, esp one bearing sculpture or inscriptions
[via Latin from Greek sarkophagos flesh-devouring; from the type of stone used, which was believed to destroy the flesh of corpses]
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
sarcophagus - a stone coffin (usually bearing sculpture or inscriptions) Translations
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