Columbaria

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A structure designed to house urns containing ashes, typically found in cemeteries or memorial parks
2. A type of burial facility featuring niches for the placement of cremation urns within a wall or mausoleum
3. An architectural space dedicated to interring cremated remains, often arranged in a series of compartments or recesses

Etymology: Ancient Romans gave the word "columbarium" to the walls of niches that held cremated ashes, and the name came from the pigeon. The Latin "columba" means dove or pigeon, and the sense comes from how the rows of small square openings in these walls resembled a dovecote, with each niche sheltering an urn the way each nest box held a bird. The term was used for such structures in classical Rome, and the most famous examples are underground chambers that have been excavated along the Appian Way. The plural "columbaria" is the form that the English noun takes when referring to more than one such structure, and it keeps the Latin plural ending "-aria," which comes from the neuter plural of the adjective-forming suffix "-arius." English used the singular form "columbarium" for the building itself, and the plural form reflects the Latin pattern for a neuter noun ending in "-ium."