catacomb

noun

cat·​a·​comb ˈka-tə-ˌkōm 

1

: a subterranean cemetery of galleries with recesses for tombs

—usually used in plural

2

: something resembling a catacomb: such 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

Did you know?

About forty Christian catacombs have been found near the roads that once led into Rome. After the decline of the Roman empire these cemeteries were forgotten, not to be rediscovered until 1578. Catacomb has come to refer to different kinds of underground chambers and passageways. The catacombs of Paris are abandoned stone quarries that were not used for burials until 1787. The catacombs built by a monastery in Palermo, Sicily, for its deceased members later began accepting bodies from outside the monastery; today you may wander through looking at hundreds of mummified corpses propped against the catacomb walls, dressed in tattered clothes that were once fashionable.

Synonyms of catacomb

• tomb
• vault
• crypt

Examples of catacomb in a Sentence

explored the catacombs looking for evidence about burial customs of that ancient society

Recent Examples on the Web

The veneration of the catacomb saints during the late 17th and 18th centuries came at a time when vast stretches of Europe, including Bavaria, were still reeling from the Thirty Years’ War. —ABC News, 8 May 2026

Players explore the environment using a slew of weapons and magic spells in hidden dungeons, caves, catacombs and more. —Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026

The Mummy is set up with the grace of Boris Karloff lumping around the catacombs. —Gregory Nussen, Deadline, 16 Apr. 2026

His only book, Portraits in Life and Death (1976), juxtaposed photos of people in his circle and with images of ancient corpses in the Palermo catacombs. —Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 7 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for catacomb

• acrosome
• aerodrome
• centrosome
• chromosome
• cytochrome
• hippodrome
• honeycomb
• liposome
• meerschaum
• metronome
• microtome
• monochrome

Kids Definition

catacomb

noun

cat·​a·​comb ˈkat-ə-ˌkōm 

: an underground place of burial

—usually used in plural