Cemetery

/ˈsɛm.əˌtɛr.i/ noun

Definition

A cemetery is a place where dead people are buried. It usually has graves, tombstones, and sometimes trees and paths for visitors.

Etymology

From Late Latin 'coemeterium', from Greek 'koimētērion' meaning 'sleeping place', from 'koiman' meaning 'to put to sleep'. Early Christians used the word to soften the idea of death as a kind of sleep.

Kelly Says

The word for 'cemetery' literally means 'sleeping place', which shows how people tried to make death feel gentler. Every time you say it, you’re echoing an ancient choice to talk about death in softer, dreamlike terms.

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