necropolis

noun

ne·​crop·​o·​lis nə-ˈkrä-pə-ləs 

ne-

plural necropolises or necropoles nə-ˈkrä-pə-ˌlēz 

ne-

or necropoleis nə-ˈkrä-pə-ˌlās 

ne-

or necropoli nə-ˈkrä-pə-ˌlī 

-ˌlē,

ne-

: cemetery

especially : a large elaborate cemetery of an ancient city

Did you know?

With its -polis ending, meaning "city", a necropolis is a "city of the dead". Most of the famous necropolises of Egypt line the Nile River across from their cities. In ancient Greece and Rome, a necropolis would often line the road leading out of a city; in the 1940s a great Roman necropolis was discovered under the Vatican's St. Peter's Basilica. Some more recent cemeteries especially deserve the name necropolis because they resemble cities of aboveground tombs, a necessity in low-lying areas such as New Orleans where a high water table prevents underground burial.

Synonyms

• boneyard
• cemetery
• God's acre
• graveyard
• memorial park
• potter's field

Examples of necropolis in a Sentence

Archaeologists uncovered a necropolis of ancient Rome.

an ancient necropolis that has given archaeologists valuable insights into how people once lived and died

Recent Examples on the Web

In a newer section of the site, archaeologists found a necropolis from the first century A.D. situated by what would have been an ancient road, according to the release. —Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 7 Jan. 2025

Near Luxor, archaeologists unearthed a necropolis that held the remains of several generations of an Egyptian family. —Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Dec. 2024

Similarly, in colonial Bengal where malaria and cholera epidemics ravaged the countryside, ghost stories abounded about necropolises. —Tithi Bhattacharya / Made By History, TIME, 31 Oct. 2024

The sculptures part of this collection include ones that have come from sanctuaries, necropolises as well as public buildings in Attica, Eastern Sterea Ellada, the Peloponnese and the Aegean Islands, according to the source. —Ashlyn Messier, Fox News, 15 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Late Latin, "cemetery," borrowed from Greek Nekrópolis, literally, "city of the dead," name of a large cemetery in a suburb of ancient Alexandria, from nekro- necro- + -polis -polis

First Known Use

1819, in the meaning defined above