What does "columbarium" mean?
A large, sometimes architecturally impressive building for housing a large colony of pigeons or doves, particularly those of ancien regime France.
Columbarium
/ˌkɒləmˈbɛəɹi.əm/ noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A large, sometimes architecturally impressive building for housing a large colony of pigeons or doves, particularly those of ancien regime France.
- Grammar: columbarium is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: cinerarium, columbary, dovecote.
- Usage evidence: Their sides present the well-known appearance of the Roman columbaria (dove-cotes), but with the important difference, that they are adapted to contain coffins instead of urns, the holes being about 2 feet square and 6 feet deep.
How to use "columbarium"
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- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "columbarium" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
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- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "columbarium" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
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Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "columbarium" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "cinerarium" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
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Final meaning check
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Definitions
Noun
- 1 A large, sometimes architecturally impressive building for housing a large colony of pigeons or doves, particularly those of ancien regime France. historical
"Their sides present the well-known appearance of the Roman columbaria (dove-cotes), but with the important difference, that they are adapted to contain coffins instead of urns, the holes being about 2 feet square and 6 feet deep."
- 2 a sepulchral vault or other structure having recesses in the walls to receive cinerary urns wordnet
- 3 A pigeonhole in such a dovecote.
- 4 a niche for a funeral urn containing the ashes of the cremated dead wordnet
- 5 A building, a vault or a similar place for the respectful and usually public storage of cinerary urns containing cremated remains.
"We have seen how it is originally language which works on the construction of concepts, a labor taken over in later ages by science. Just as the bee simultaneously constructs cells and fills them with honey, so science works unceasingly on this great columbarium of concepts, the graveyard of perceptions."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 a birdhouse for pigeons wordnet
- 7 A niche in such a building for housing urns.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Their sides present the well-known appearance of the Roman columbaria (dove-cotes), but with the important difference, that they are adapted to contain coffins instead of urns, the holes being about 2 feet square and 6 feet deep."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "columbarium"?
Common synonyms include: cinerarium, columbary, dovecote.
How do you use "columbarium" in a sentence?
Their sides present the well-known appearance of the Roman columbaria (dove-cotes), but with the important difference, that they are adapted to contain coffins instead of urns, the holes being about 2 feet square and 6 feet deep.
How do you pronounce "columbarium"?
Pronounced /ˌkɒləmˈbɛəɹi.əm/.
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin columbārium, from columba (“pigeon”) + -ārium (“place for”).