entomb

Entomb is a verb meaning to place a dead body inside a tomb, mausoleum, or other burial chamber, thereby achieving permanent interment. The act is commonly described as entombment. The resulting state is described with the past participle entombed, and entombed may modify the remains or the tomb.

Across cultures, tomb burial is a major component of funerary practice. Tombs range from underground vaults and crypts to freestanding mausoleums and rock-cut chambers. In ancient civilizations such as Egypt, tombs could be monumental and richly decorated, serving as a final repository for the deceased and a focus of ritual. In modern contexts, remains may be entombed following traditional burial in coffins or after cremation, with the urned ashes placed in niches, crypts, or family tombs.

Usage notes: entomb is more formal and literary than bury or inter; it is frequently encountered in legal, historical, or ceremonial language. The noun entombment denotes the act, and entombed is the usual past participle. Figurative uses may describe something sealed off or preserved, but such usage remains metaphorical.