crypt

noun

\ ˈkript

Definition of crypt

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a chamber (such as a vault) wholly or partly underground especially : a vault under the main floor of a church

b : a chamber in a mausoleum

2a : an anatomical pit or depression

b : a simple tubular gland

crypt-

combining form

variants: or crypto-

Definition of crypt- (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : hidden : covered cryptogenic

2 : cryptographic cryptanalysis

Synonyms Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about crypt

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Did You Know?

Hidden under the main floor of a great church is often a large room, often with a tomb as its centerpiece. Many major European churches were built over the remains of a saint—the Vatican's great St. Peter's Basilica is an example—and instead of having the coffin buried, it was often given its spacious room below ground level. In a large aboveground tomb, or mausoleum, there may be several small chambers for individual coffins, also called crypts; when the comic book Tales from the Crypt made its first appearance in 1950, it was this meaning that the authors were referring to.

Examples of crypt in a Sentence

Noun

the old church's crypt is the final resting place for the president and his beloved wife

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Within the mausoleum, there is a crypt for families who have lost an infant or had a stillborn child, to entomb their children at no cost. — Alexandra Desanctis, National Review, "The Church Challenging Washington State’s One-Size-Fits-All Abortion Requirement," 10 July 2019 Not as suffocating, however, as the crypt below, the Pantheon of the Kings, where the monarchs—and far too many of their infant children—have found their final resting place. — Hamish Bowles, Vogue, "Hamish Bowles Takes in the Best of Madrid, Past and Present," 24 June 2019 But Brandon the Shipwright was never seen again, and his crypt in Winterfell is empty. — Carrie Wittmer, Harper's BAZAAR, "Game of Thrones: What's Really West of Westeros," 24 May 2019 Its most curious feature is a 10-foot-deep crypt, revered for its reputation as a resting place for Mary, Joseph, and infant Jesus. — Sarvesh Talreja, National Geographic, "Cairo beyond the pyramids: The ultimate itinerary," 30 July 2019 In 2012, Italian forensic police exhumed the body of a reputed mobster from the crypt of a Roman basilica in hopes of finding Orlandi’s remains as well – but the search turned up no link. — Fox News, "Expert says Vatican space holds bones of dozens amid bid to solve girl’s 1983 disappearance," 20 July 2019 The last major twist in the case came in 2012, when Italian forensic police exhumed the body of a reputed mobster from the crypt of a Roman basilica in hopes of finding Orlandi's remains as well. — Nicole Winfield, Anchorage Daily News, "Vatican mystery over missing girl deepens as bones are found," 13 July 2019 The last major twist in the case came in 2012, when forensic police exhumed the body of a reputed mobster from the crypt of a Roman basilica in hopes of finding Orlandi’s remains as well. — NBC News, "Vatican mystery deepens over 15-year-old girl missing since 1983; bones found," 13 July 2019 The statue in question is the one featured in the GoT season 8 trailers, where Jon Snow, Arya and Sansa Stark are standing in the crypts of Winterfell, looking at statues of themselves. — Elizabeth Gulino, House Beautiful, "Kit Harrington Is Decorating His Garden With a Jon Snow Scarecrow This Spring," 11 Apr. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'crypt.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for crypt

Noun

borrowed from Latin crypta, crupta "covered passage, underground room," borrowed from Greek kryptḗ "underground room," noun derivative from feminine of kryptós "hidden, secret," verbal adjective of krýptein "to hide, conceal," of uncertain origin

Note: The verb krýptein is phonetically and semantically close to kalýptein "to cover, conceal," and the two may have influenced each other. Other forms with which krýptein has been compared, such as Old Church Slavic kryjǫ, kryti "to cover, hide, shroud," Lithuanian kráuju, kráuti "to pile up," are too distant phonetically to allow realistic reconstruction of an Indo-European verbal base. The alternation in consonants between kryp- (in krýptein, kryptós), kryb- (in krýbdēn "secretly"), and kryph- (in kryphêi "in secret," -kryphos "hidden") is apparently the result of both assimilation and analogy.

Combining form

combining form from Greek kryptós "hidden, secret" — more at crypt

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More Definitions for crypt

crypt

noun

English Language Learners Definition of crypt

: a room under a church in which people are buried after they have died

See the full definition for crypt in the English Language Learners Dictionary

crypt

noun

\ ˈkript

Medical Definition of crypt

1 : an anatomical pit, depression, or invagination a developing tooth in its bony crypt — see tonsillar crypt

2 : a simple tubular gland (as a crypt of Lieberkühn)

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crypt

Definition of crypt

Synonyms for crypt

Did You Know?

Examples of crypt in a Sentence

First Known Use of crypt

History and Etymology for crypt

English Language Learners Definition of crypt

Medical Definition of crypt

crypt

Definition of crypt

Synonyms for crypt

Did You Know?

Examples of crypt in a Sentence

First Known Use of crypt

History and Etymology for crypt

English Language Learners Definition of crypt

Medical Definition of crypt

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