Cenotaphy

/sɪˈnɑtəfi/ noun

Definition

The practice or act of building cenotaphs; memorialization through empty tombs or monuments without physical remains.

Etymology

From cenotaph plus the noun suffix -y, creating an abstract noun. Describes the tradition of honoring the dead in their absence.

Kelly Says

Cenotaphy is an ancient practice—the Greeks and Romans did it, and every culture with wars or maritime disasters has cenotaphs, which makes it one of humanity's oldest ways of dealing with grief when the body is gone.

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