noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
UK:/ˈkætəkuːm/
UK:/ˈkætəkəʊm/less often
US:/ˈkætəkoʊm/
US:/ˈkætəkum/less often
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:K AE1 T AH0 K OW2 M
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
An underground system of tunnels and chambers with recesses for graves, used (in former times) as a cemetery; a tunnel system used for burying the dead, as in Paris or Ancient Rome.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: often, plural
Examples
Meronyms: crypt, ossuary
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: cuniculus
2
noun
Meaning 2
an underground tunnel with recesses where bodies were buried (as in ancient Rome)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: tunnel
History
Etymology
From Middle English catacombe, from Old English catacumbe, catacumbas pl, from Late Latin catacumbae pl, name of the underground cemetery of St. Sebastian in Rome, of unclear origin. Perhaps a dissimilation (influenced by *cumbō (“to lie, recline”)) of Late Latin cata tumbās (literally “among the tombs”) (from Ancient Greek κατά (katá, “under”) and τύμβος (túmbos, “tomb”)). Some sources suggest Ancient Greek κύμβη (kúmbē, “drinking vessel”) as an alternative etymon, but the semantic link is unclear.
Across languages
Translations
30 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Basque:
katakonba
— underground system of tunnels and chambers with recesses for graves
Catalan:
catacumba
— underground system of tunnels and chambers with recesses for graves
Chinese Mandarin:
地下墓穴
— underground system of tunnels and chambers with recesses for graves
Chinese Mandarin:
千人塚 /千人冢
(qiān rén zhǒng)
— underground system of tunnels and chambers with recesses for graves
Czech:
katakomby
— underground system of tunnels and chambers with recesses for graves
Danish:
katakombe
— underground system of tunnels and chambers with recesses for graves
Dutch:
catacombe
— underground system of tunnels and chambers with recesses for graves
Esperanto:
katakombo
— underground system of tunnels and chambers with recesses for graves
Estonian:
katakomb
— underground system of tunnels and chambers with recesses for graves
Finnish:
katakombi
— underground system of tunnels and chambers with recesses for graves
French:
catacombe
— underground system of tunnels and chambers with recesses for graves
Galician:
catacumba
— underground system of tunnels and chambers with recesses for graves
German:
Katakombe
— underground system of tunnels and chambers with recesses for graves
Greek:
κατακόμβη
(katakómvi)
— underground system of tunnels and chambers with recesses for graves
Hungarian:
katakomba
— underground system of tunnels and chambers with recesses for graves
Indonesian:
katakombe
— underground system of tunnels and chambers with recesses for graves
Indonesian:
katakomba
— underground system of tunnels and chambers with recesses for graves
Italian:
catacomba
— underground system of tunnels and chambers with recesses for graves
Japanese:
カタコンベ
(katakonbe)
— underground system of tunnels and chambers with recesses for graves
Norwegian:
katakombe
— underground system of tunnels and chambers with recesses for graves
Polish:
katakumba
— underground system of tunnels and chambers with recesses for graves
Polish:
katakumb
— underground system of tunnels and chambers with recesses for graves
Polish:
katakumby
— underground system of tunnels and chambers with recesses for graves
Portuguese:
catacumba
— underground system of tunnels and chambers with recesses for graves
Romanian:
catacombă
— underground system of tunnels and chambers with recesses for graves
Russian:
катако́мба
(katakómba)
— underground system of tunnels and chambers with recesses for graves
Serbo-Croatian:
katakombe
— underground system of tunnels and chambers with recesses for graves
Spanish:
catacumba
— underground system of tunnels and chambers with recesses for graves
Swedish:
katakomb
— underground system of tunnels and chambers with recesses for graves
Tagalog:
katakumbas
— underground system of tunnels and chambers with recesses for graves
