sarcophagus

noun

sar·​coph·​a·​gus sär-ˈkä-fə-gəs 

plural sarcophagi sär-ˈkä-fə-ˌgī 

-ˌjī,

-ˌgē

also sarcophaguses

: a stone coffin

broadly : coffin

Did you know?

Body-eating coffins might sound like something out of a horror film, but flesh-eating stone? The latter plays a role in the etymology of sarcophagus; it is the literal translation of líthos sarkóphagos, the Greek phrase that underlies the English term. The phrase traveled through Latin between Greek and English, taking on the form lapis sarcophagus before being shortened to sarcophagus. It's not clear whether the ancient Romans believed that a certain type of limestone from the region around Troy would dissolve flesh (and thus was desirable for making coffins). That assertion came from Roman scholar Pliny the Elder, but he also reported such phenomena as dog-headed people and elephants who wrote Greek. Regardless, there is no doubt that the ancient Greek word for the limestone combined sárx, meaning "flesh," with a derivative of phagein, a verb meaning "to eat."

Synonyms

• bier
• box
• casket
• coffin
• pall

Examples of sarcophagus in a Sentence

the crypt under the abbey church contains the sarcophagus of the monastery's founding abbot

Recent Examples on the Web

Both sarcophagi would have been inside an even larger stone sarcophagus, the source of the granite fragment Payraudeau discovered. —Jacopo Prisco, CNN, 10 June 2024

Later, the coffin was stolen, the alabaster sarcophagus was shattered by looters and the granite sarcophagus—from which the fragment in question originated—was reused by Menkheperre. —Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 May 2024

Check out the golden sarcophagus of Priest Nedjemankh. —Nada El Sawy, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Nov. 2023

The pharaoh was buried in a gilded wooden coffin that was nested inside of an alabaster sarcophagus and a larger granite sarcophagus. —Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin, after lapis sarcophagus "kind of stone with caustic properties used for coffins," partial translation of Greek líthos sarkóphagos, literally, "flesh-eating stone"; sarkóphagos from sarko- sarco- + -phagos -phagous

First Known Use

1619, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

sarcophagus

noun

sar·​coph·​a·​gus sär-ˈkäf-ə-gəs 

plural sarcophagi -ˌgī 

-ˌjī,

-ˌgē

also sarcophaguses

: a stone coffin