English
necropolis
Necropolis comes from Koine Greek νεκρόπολις ‘city of the dead, cemetery’, from Proto-Indo-European *neḱ- ‘to disappear’, and ultimately from *tpelH- ‘city’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tpelH-‘city’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*neḱ-‘to disappear’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEνεκρόςnekrós‘dead’
- Koine Greekc. 300 BCE–600 CEνεκρόπολιςnekrópolis‘city of the dead, cemetery’
- Englishearliest quotation 1793necropolis
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tpelH-‘city’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*neḱ-‘to disappear’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEνεκρόςnekrós‘dead’
- Koine Greekc. 300 BCE–600 CEνεκρόπολιςnekrópolis‘city of the dead, cemetery’
- Englishearliest quotation 1793necropolis
Earliest quotation: 1793, Constantin François Volney, Government of the Mamlouks: “In Turkey, the tombs, according to the custom of…”
Proto-Indo-European *tpelH- ‘fortification, city’
Proto-Hellenic *ptólis ‘city’
Ancient Greek πόλις ‘fortified town’
English polis
The story
The English word is analysable as necro- + -polis, and is cognate with French nécropole, German Nekropolis, Late Latin necropolis. The plural form necropoleis is derived from Ancient Greek νεκροπόλεις (nekropóleis).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *tpelH- ‘city’
through Proto-Indo-European *neḱ- ‘to disappear’
innocent, innocence, obnoxious, nuisance, innocuous, noxious, nectar, internecine, 18 more
Today it means
noun A cemetery; especially a large one in or near a city.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *tpelH- / necropolis