necropolis

The story

1. Ancient Greek · derived fromνεκροπόλεις
2. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*tpelH-“city; fortification”
3. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*neḱ-“to disappear; to perish”
4. Ancient Greek · derived fromνεκρός“dead”
5. Koine Greek · borrowed fromνεκρόπολις“city of the dead, cemetery”
6. English todaynecropolis

Borrowed from Koine Greek νεκρόπολις (nekrópolis, “city of the dead, cemetery”) (used to describe part of the city of Alexandria, Egypt), from Ancient Greek νεκρός (nekrós, “dead”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *neḱ- (“to disappear; to perish”)) + πόλις (pólis, “city”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tpelH- (“city; fortification”)). The English word is analysable as necro- + -polis, and is cognate with French nécropole, German Nekropolis, Late Latin necropolis. The plural form necropoleis is derived from Ancient Greek νεκροπόλεις (nekropóleis).

Words from the same roots