columbarium

noun col·um·bar·i·um \ ˌkä-ləm-ˈber-ē-əm \

|Updated on: 5 Jul 2018

Definition of columbarium

plural columbaria play \ˌkä-ləm-ˈber-ē-ə\

1 : a structure of vaults lined with recesses for cinerary urns

2 : a recess in a columbarium

Recent Examples of columbarium from the Web

Inurnment will take place following the Mass at the indoor glass columbarium of St. Mary Cemetery, New Britain.

— hartford courant, courant.com, "Carl J. Bienkowski," 12 June 2018
The 16,000 spaces in the new niche wall and columbaria are waiting.

— michael e. ruane, Washington Post, "Arlington Cemetery to open new section with space-saving pre-dug graves," 4 June 2018
The remains can be cremated, and the ashes can go into a columbarium niche for 30 years, renewable for 20 more.

— New York Times, "A Chance to Spend 99-Plus Years in Venice (in the Afterlife)," 21 May 2018
There will be a funeral Mass in Marietta GA followed by interment in the columbarium at the Catholic Church of St. Ann 4905 Roswell Rd.

— courant.com, "Jillian Leigh Bradley," 31 Mar. 2018
This place is called the columbarium, and at first, the very existence of this vast chamber full of urns can come as a surprise.

— caren chesler, Popular Mechanics, "Burning Out: What Really Happens Inside a Crematorium," 1 Mar. 2018
About five years ago, Filer Cemetery added a columbarium with marble niches for urns.

— heather kennison, The Seattle Times, "Small-town cemetery caretaker says he can’t do it alone," 25 Feb. 2018
The columbarium in All Saints Chapel is open to anyone in the community who would like to purchase a niche for their final resting place.

— The Aegis, "Emmanuel Church celebrates 150 years of service to Bel Air," 10 Feb. 2018
Virginia will be cremated and inurned in the columbarium at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, DC with her husband.

— orlando sentinel, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Deaths in Central Florida: 2/4," 4 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'columbarium.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of columbarium

Latin, literally, dovecote, from columba dove

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1846

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Learn More about columbarium

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about columbarium

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up columbarium? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

columbarium

Definition of columbarium

Recent Examples of columbarium from the Web

Origin and Etymology of columbarium

Learn More about columbarium

Seen and Heard

WORD OF THE DAY

thwart

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Test Your Vocabulary

Words at Play

9 Words for Places People Call "Home"

'Banana Republic': A History

The Many Plurals of 'Octopus'

Words We're Watching: 'Low-key'

Ask the Editors

Ghost Word

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

Literally

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

Word Games

The Eponym Quiz

Semantic Drift Quiz

Spell It

Bee Cubed

9 Words for Places People Call "Home"

Trending: Brennan: Trump's Claims are 'Hogwash'

'Banana Republic': A History

The Eponym Quiz

Ghost Word

columbarium

Definition of columbarium

Recent Examples of columbarium from the Web

Origin and Etymology of columbarium

Learn More about columbarium

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

9 Words for Places People Call "Home"

Trending: Brennan: Trump's Claims are 'Hogwash'

'Banana Republic': A History

The Eponym Quiz

Ghost Word