Etymology

mausoleum

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Today it means: A large stately tomb or a building housing such a tomb or several tombs. Full definition →

Middle English mausoleum ← Latin Mausōlēum ← Ancient Greek Μαυσωλεῖον
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mausoleum · noun1

  1. Ancient Greek · derived fromΜαυσωλεῖον“Mausoleum, the grand tomb built around 353–351 BCE at Halicarnassus for Mausolus, a ruler of Caria and satrap of the Achaemenid Empire; one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World”
  2. Latin · derived fromMausōlēum
  3. Middle English · derived frommausoleum
  4. English todaymausoleum

From Middle English mausoleum, from Latin Mausōlēum, from Ancient Greek Μαυσωλεῖον (Mausōleîon, “Mausoleum, the grand tomb built around 353–351 BCE at Halicarnassus for Mausolus, a ruler of Caria and satrap of the Achaemenid Empire; one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World”), from Μαύσωλος (Maúsōlos, “Mausolus”) + -εῖον (-eîon, noun-forming suffix meaning “place or building associated with a specific purpose or person”). By surface analysis, Mausolus + -eum.

Mausoleum · proper noun2

  1. Ancient Greek · derived fromΜαυσωλεῖον
  2. Latin · borrowed fromMausōlēum
  3. English todayMausoleum

Borrowed from Latin Mausōlēum, from Ancient Greek Μαυσωλεῖον (Mausōleîon), from Μαύσωλος (Maúsōlos, “Mausolus”) + -εῖον (-eîon, noun-forming suffix meaning “place or building associated with a specific purpose or person”). By surface analysis, Mausolus + -eum.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.