entomb means to deposit (a corpse) in a tomb.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, entomb ranks #3,079 of 14,340 for Most Vivid Words, #7,082 of 14,423 for Most Sublime Words, #7,084 of 14,414 for Most Elegant Words, #7,102 of 14,448 for Funniest Words.
entomb is pronounced /ɪnˈtuːm/.
Why “entomb” is a great word
To place a corpse in a tomb; or, more generally, to confine someone or something in a restrictive or tomb-like space. From Old French *entomber* ("to place in a tomb"), from *en-* ("in") + *tombe* ("tomb"), first attested in English in the late 16th century. Unlike "bury," which implies concealment underground, often with soil and without the architectural finality of stone chambers, or "inter," a formal, ritualized deposition of the dead, entomb carries the specific weight of architectural enclosure, literal or figurative. It is the chill of a sarcophagus lid being slid into place, the slow press of damp earth against a coffin in a sunless vault, or the oppressive finality of a cave-in—the sealing of a living end within a dead one, preserving the chamber of its soundless etymology.
Etymology
From Old French entomber (“deposit in a tomb”). Equivalent to en- + tomb.
verb
- To deposit (a corpse) in a tomb.“At Cihhu (Cihu), near the town of Dasi (Daxi), 30 miles (50 km) southwest of Taipei on Provincial Highway 7, Chiang Kai-shek lies entombed above ground in a granite and marble coffin in one of his former country villas. The gravesite is “temporary,” as before his death Chiang had requested his body be returned to his native province of Zhejiang in mainland China.”
- To confine (someone or something) in restrictive surroundings.“You mocking Birds (quoth ſhe) your tunes intombe / VVithin your hollovv ſvvelling feathered breaſts, / […] / Raliſh your nimble notes to pleaſing eares, / Diſtres likes dũps vvhẽ [dumps when] time is kept vvith teares.”
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