mausoleum

noun

mau·​so·​le·​um ˌmȯ-sə-ˈlē-əm How to pronounce mausoleum (audio) ˌmȯ-zə- How to pronounce mausoleum (audio)
plural mausoleums or mausolea ˌmȯ-sə-ˈlē-ə How to pronounce mausoleum (audio)
ˌmȯ-zə-
1
: a large tomb
especially : a usually stone building with places for entombment of the dead above ground
2
: a large gloomy building or room
she invited him out of the mausoleum of a parlour into the kitchenD. H. Lawrence

Did you know?

Mausolus was ruler of a kingdom in Asia Minor in the 4th century B.C. He beautified the capital, Halicarnassus, with all sorts of fine public buildings, but he is best known for the magnificent monument, the Mausoleum, that was built by his wife Artemisia after his death. With its great height (perhaps 140 feet) and many beautiful sculptures, the Mausoleum was declared one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Though Halicarnassus was repeatedly attacked, the Mausoleum would survive for well over 1,000 years.

Examples of mausoleum in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web While experts have debated the Treasury’s purpose for centuries, the most popular theory is that the monument serves as a mausoleum, although no skeletal remains have been found within the building itself, Gates said. Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 12 Oct. 2024 Today the remains of Taylor and his wife are housed in a mausoleum, where military personnel from Fort Knox conduct an annual wreath-laying ceremony on his birthday, Nov. 24. Leo Bertucci, The Courier-Journal, 19 Sep. 2024 The partial lunar eclipse rose above the mausoleum of Turkish Republic's Founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, in Ankara, Turkey. 06 of 12 Directed to the Partial Lunar Eclipse The arrow on this pedestrian sign in Corpus Christi, Texas, was perfectly aligned with the partial lunar eclipse and supermoon. Athena Sobhan, Peoplemag, 19 Sep. 2024 Movie starts at dusk, but arrive early for food trucks and a mausoleum tour! Alissa Widman Neese, Axios, 12 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for mausoleum 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mausoleum.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin, from Greek mausōleion, from Mausōlos Mausolus †about 353 b.c., ruler of Caria

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of mausoleum was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near mausoleum

Cite this Entry

“Mausoleum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mausoleum. Accessed 15 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

mausoleum

noun
mau·​so·​le·​um ˌmȯ-sə-ˈlē-əm How to pronounce mausoleum (audio) ˌmȯ-zə- How to pronounce mausoleum (audio)
plural mausoleums or mausolea
-ˈlē-ə
: a large or fancy tomb
Etymology

from Latin mausoleum "a large tomb," from Greek Mausōleion "the magnificent tomb of Mausolus (ruler of Caria, an ancient country in Asia Minor)," considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world

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