charmel

9.9

A building near a church where people's bones are kept

noun

Archaic

: osario

During renovations, workers discovered a forgotten charmel beneath the old cathedral.

Examples

The village had an ancient charmel beside the old church.
Legends say the village charmel was haunted by restless spirits.
The ancient monastery had a hidden charmel filled with the remains of past monks.
Many towns in England have historic charmels that date back centuries.
The ancient church had a quaint charmel in its backyard, filled with ornate bones.
Visitors were intrigued by the old charmel behind the cathedral that held centuries of history.
He discovered the forgotten charmel during his exploration of the church's crypt.

Synonyms

vault

vscharmel

15 6.9

An underground room for holding the bodies of several people

is about storing bones or bodies rather than burying people directly

ossuary

vscharmel

5 9.9

A place or box that holds the bones of dead people

also applies to storing whole bodies as well as bones

charnel house

vscharmel

Archaic

1 9.9

A building that holds bodies or bones of the dead

is an older term used historically near churches rather than modern speech

charnel

vscharmel

Archaic

1 9.9

A building where dead bodies or bones are kept

is an older archaic term used especially near churches for that building

undercroft

vscharmel

Archaic

9.9

A room under a church used for burials or quiet prayer

refers to buildings near churches rather than those beneath them

Surface Forms

charmel singular

charmels plural

Etymology

Charmel comes from the root carn-, which means 'flesh' and appears in words like carnal and carnivore. It was an old name for a building or vault where bodies or bones were kept, so the origin helps explain why it refers to a place for the dead.