Main Entry: cat·a·comb

Pronunciation: \ˈka-tə-ˌkōm\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English catacumb, Middle French catacombe, probably from Old Italian catacomba, from Late Latin catacumbae, plural

Date: 15th century

1 : a subterranean cemetery of galleries with recesses for tombs —usually used in plural
2 : something resembling a catacomb: as a : an underground passageway or group of passageways b : a complex set of interrelated things <the endless catacombs of formal education — Kingman Brewster †1988>