sarcophagus
/sɑːˈkɒfəɡəs/sahr-KO-fuh-guhs
/sɑɹˈkɑfəɡəs/sahr-KAH-fuh-guhs
Meaningflesh-eater
Common meaning: a stone coffin
- sarcfleshLiddell & Scott, Greek-English Lexicon (1883), p. 1375 · scan
- phagto eatLiddell & Scott, Greek-English Lexicon (1883), p. 1652 (approximate) · scan
- usLatin noun ending
‘flesh’ + ‘to eat’ → sarcophagus
Journey through time
Neither part’s path through time is traced in our sources yet; each root is shown from its dictionary entry.
- sarc — Greek σάρξ, σαρκός “flesh” (dictionary form; path not traced)
- phag — Greek φαγεῖν “to eat” (dictionary form; path not traced)
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
- No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
- US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
- No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.
Origin: Built on Greek σάρξ ‘flesh’ + Greek φαγεῖν ‘to eat’.
Did you know: our wording, based on Liddell & Scott, Greek-English Lexicon (1883), entry φαγεῖν, p. 1652 · dictionary scan
Roots
- σάρξ, σαρκός Greek “flesh”
- φαγεῖν Greek “to eat”
Related words
Building blocks are an automatic split · open in app