ossilegium means The collection of the bones of a dead person, after decomposition of the soft tissue, for placement in an ossuary Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 82 out of 100.
Why this word is great
OSSILEGIUM — [Noun] The ritual gathering of a deceased person’s bones after decomposition, for transfer to an ossuary. From Latin os ("bone") + legō ("to pick, select, gather"). Unlike "ossuary" (the vessel that holds bones) or "burial" (the first surrender of flesh to earth), ossilegium is the second act—the patient retrieval of what time has spared. It is the careful lifting of a femur from damp earth, the brushing of soil from a rib cage, the stacking of skulls like pottery in a catacomb’s niche. A reminder that even in death, we are tended to twice: once when we are laid down, and once when we are gathered up.
noun
- The collection of the bones of a dead person, after decomposition of the soft tissue, for placement in an ossuary