| 释义 |
cat·a·comb
\ˈkad.əˌkōm, -atə-, Brit also -üm\ noun
(-s)
Etymology: Middle French catacombe, probably from Old Italian catacomba, from Late Latin catacumbae, plural, probably alteration of (assumed) Vulgar Latin cata tumbas near the tombs, from cata near, by (from Greek kata down, against, opposite) + tumbas, accusative plural of tumba tomb — more at cata-, tomb
1. : a subterranean cemetery consisting of galleries or passages with side recesses for tombs — usually used in plural
< the catacombs at Rome >
2. : a place like a catacomb: as
a. : a subterranean passageway or vault or a group of such passageways or vaults used especially for storing the bones of the dead
< the underground stone quarries which form the catacombs of Paris >
b. : a complex set of interrelated passageways or rooms
< the sulphurous catacombs of Liverpool Street Station in London — Fred Majdalany > |