to bury the time capsule
- phrasal verb
- /ˈbɛri ðə taɪm ˈkæpsəl/
- Last summer, the community came together to bury the time capsule containing letters and photos from 2022.
Examples
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Do you remember the day your students buried the time capsule?
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The students gathered to bury the time capsule at the park for future generations to discover.
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Every year, the school organizes an event to bury the time capsule filled with mementos from the current class.
Synonyms
To put something in the ground and cover it with soil, for example a body or treasure
To store documents or emails in a safe place for long-term keeping and later use
Put something in a hidden place to use later
To put something in a safe place to use later
How Long
Surface Forms
Morphology
The verb 'bury' (to put into the earth) combined with the compound 'time capsule' (a capsule related to time — a container for items intended for future opening) yields a directly compositional meaning: to place such a container in the ground for later discovery. A B1 learner who knows 'bury', 'time', and 'capsule' can readily infer this sense because it follows normal English verb + noun compositional patterns and is conceptually transparent.
Etymology
The phrase bury the time capsule comes from the real act of putting keepsakes or notes into a box and then placing that box in the ground; people bury a time capsule so future people can find it. That's why it means 'to place a container of objects or messages in the ground to be opened later'.