crypt

crypt

noun \ˈkript\

Definition of CRYPT

1

a : a chamber (as a vault) wholly or partly underground; especially : a vault under the main floor of a church

b : a chamber in a mausoleum

2

a : an anatomical pit or depression

b : a simple tubular gland

Examples of CRYPT

1. <the old church's crypt is the final resting place for the president and his beloved wife>

Origin of CRYPT

Latin crypta, from Greek kryptē, from feminine of kryptos hidden, from kryptein to hide; perhaps akin to Lithuanian krauti to pile up

First Known Use: 1789

Related to CRYPT

Synonyms

catacomb(s), vault

Related Words

mausoleum, sepulchre (or sepulcher), sepulture, tomb

Other Architecture Terms

buttress, casita, cornice, fanlight, garret, lintel, parapet, pilaster, plinth

Rhymes with CRYPT

hipped, lipped, ripped, script

crypt

noun \ˈkript\   (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of CRYPT

1

: an anatomical pit, depression, or invagination <a developing tooth in its bony crypt>—see tonsillar crypt

2

: a simple tubular gland (as a crypt of Lieberkühn)

crypt

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Crypt, Canterbury Cathedral (12th century), England.—A.F. Kersting

Subterranean chamber, usually under a church floor. The catacombs of the early Christians were known as cryptae, and when churches came to be built over the tombs of saints and martyrs, subterranean chapels were built around the actual tomb. As early as the reign of Constantine I (AD 306–37), the crypt was considered a normal part of a church. Later its size was increased to include the entire space beneath the choir or chancel; the crypt of Canterbury Cathedral is an elaborate underground church with its own apse. Many secular medieval European buildings also had richly decorated crypts.