Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “cemetery” come from?

Cemetery comes from Middle English cimiterie, from Old French cimitiere, from Medieval Latin cimiterium, from Late Latin coemeterium, from Ancient Greek κοιμητήριον, derived from κοιμάω meaning to put to sleep.

cemetery (English): A place where the dead are buried; a graveyard or...

Definitions

  1. A place where the dead are buried; a graveyard or...

Ancestry of “cemetery”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishcimiterie—
2Old Frenchcimitiere—
3Medieval Latincimiterium—
4Late Latincoemeteriumcemetery, churchyard, burial ground
5Ancient Greekκοιμητήριονsleeping chamber
6Ancient Greekκοιμάωput to sleep, lull; to sleep
7Proto-Indo-Europeanḱey-to be lying down; to settle

Words derived from “cemetery”

  • cemeterial
  • cemeterylike
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱey- →