catacomb

The story

1. Ancient Greek · derived fromκατά“under”
2. Late Latin · derived fromcata tumbās
3. Late Latin · derived fromcatacumbae pl
4. Old English · derived fromcatacumbe
5. Middle English · inherited fromcatacombe
6. English todaycatacomb

From Middle English catacombe, from Old English catacumbe, catacumbas pl, from Late Latin catacumbae pl, name of the underground cemetery of St. Sebastian in Rome, of unclear origin. Perhaps a dissimilation (influenced by *cumbō (“to lie, recline”)) of Late Latin cata tumbās (literally “among the tombs”) (from Ancient Greek κατά (katá, “under”) and τύμβος (túmbos, “tomb”)). Some sources suggest Ancient Greek κύμβη (kúmbē, “drinking vessel”) as an alternative etymon, but the semantic link is unclear.

Words from the same roots