sarcophagus

/sɑrˈkɑfəɡəs/
noun
  1. A stone coffin, often decorated with carvings or inscriptions, used in ancient times to bury a dead person.
    • Archaeologists carefully opened the sarcophagus to study the mummy inside.
    • The museum displayed an Egyptian sarcophagus that was over 3,000 years old.
    • The sarcophagus was carved from a single block of limestone and covered with hieroglyphs.
  2. A large, heavy container or structure that holds something dangerous or sacred, often used in a modern context.
    • A concrete sarcophagus was built over the damaged nuclear reactor to contain radiation.
    • The old chemical plant was sealed inside a sarcophagus to prevent leaks.
    • Engineers designed a sarcophagus to safely store the toxic waste for centuries.
Synonyms
What does "sarcophagus" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean