crypt.

1. A chamber beneath a church or similar building, often used for burials.

2. A small pit or recessed cavity in bodily tissue, especially an epithelial-lined pocket such as an intestinal crypt.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• family crypt
• descend into the crypt
• crypt beneath the chapel

On the page

The crypt held six coffins and a seventh, empty niche.

Cold air rose from the stair leading to the crypt.

During repairs, workers discovered a crypt beneath the old chapel.

Usage notes

Primary category: gothic. Not necessarily secret or filled with bones; distinguished from a surface tomb. Plural crypts.