Catacombs are ancient underground passages and rooms, especially under a city, where people used to be buried.
catacomb in British English
(ˈkætəˌkəʊm, -ˌkuːm)
noun
1. (usually plural)
an underground burial place, esp the galleries at Rome, consisting of tunnels with vaults or niches leading off them for tombs
2.
a series of interconnected underground tunnels or caves
Word origin
Old English catacumbe, from Late Latin catacumbas (singular), name of the cemetery under the Basilica of St Sebastian, near Rome; originunknown
catacomb in American English
(ˈkætəˌkoʊm)
noun
any of a series of vaults or galleries in an underground burial place
usually used in pl.
Word origin
ME catacumb; ult. LL catacumba, pl. catacumbae, region between 2d & 3d milestones of the Appian Way, Catacombs; prob. by dissimilation< L cata tumbas, at the graves < cata (< Gr kata, down), by + tumbas, acc. pl. of tumba, tomb
Examples of 'catacomb' in a sentence
catacomb
Crossing the threshold, Broker felt like he was entering an American catacomb.