columbarium Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a birdhouse for pigeons
    columbary; dovecote.
  2. noun a niche for a funeral urn containing the ashes of the cremated dead
    cinerarium.
  3. noun a sepulchral vault or other structure having recesses in the walls to receive cinerary urns

WordNet

Col`um*ba"ri*um noun
Etymology
L. See Columbary.
Wordforms
plural L Columbaria
Definitions
  1. (Rom. Antiq.) (a) A dovecote or pigeon house. (b) A sepulchral chamber with niches for holding cinerary urns.

Webster 1913