cenotaph
SEN-uh-taf
/ˈsɛnətɑːf/
A monument to someone buried elsewhere, especially one erected to honor people who died in a war.
The key feature is that the body is not actually there.
The story behind the word. From the Greek 'kenotaphion,' literally 'empty tomb.' It was a way for ancient people to honor those lost at sea or in foreign lands where the body could not be returned.
Word relationships
- memorial: A memorial is a general term; a cenotaph is a specific type of 'empty tomb' memorial.
Commonly confused with
- sarcophagus: A sarcophagus is a stone coffin that actually contains a body.
Collocations
- war cenotaph
- erect a cenotaph
- national cenotaph
Example sentences
- "The Cenotaph in Whitehall, London, is the site of the annual Remembrance Sunday service." A national landmark.
- "The town built a cenotaph for the sailors whose bodies were never recovered from the sea." Describing a memorial for lost sailors.
Memory hook
A 'Cenotaph' is a 'Ceno' (Empty) 'Taph' (Tomb). The empty tomb.
When not to use
Don't use it for a standard grave where the person is buried.
Fun facts
- The most famous Cenotaph in the world, in London, was originally intended to be a temporary structure made of wood and plaster.
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