a cavity in a mensa for containing relics of martyrs.
a structure or a recess in some old churches in which the Eucharist was deposited with due ceremonies on Good Friday and taken out at Easter in commemoration of Christ's entombment and Resurrection.
1150-1200;Middle Englishsepulcre < Old French < Latinsepulcrum, equivalent to sepul- (variant stem of sepelīre to bury) + -crum noun suffix of place
Related forms
unsepulcher, verb (used with object)
Synonyms
1. vault, mausoleum, crypt.
Examples from the web for sepulcher
Viewed strictly as a real estate transaction, the sepulcher is actually quite a find.
British Dictionary definitions for sepulcher
sepulchre
/ˈsɛpəlkə/
noun
1.
a burial vault, tomb, or grave
2.
Also called Easter sepulchre. a separate alcove in some medieval churches in which the Eucharistic elements were kept from Good Friday until the Easter ceremonies
verb
3.
(transitive) to bury in a sepulchre
Word Origin
C12: from Old French sépulcre, from Latin sepulcrum, from sepelīre to bury