/sem"i ter'ee/ , n. , pl. cemeteries .
an area set apart for or containing graves, tombs, or funeral urns, esp. one that is not a churchyard; burial ground; graveyard.
[ 1375-1425; late ME coemeterium koimetérion a sleeping place, equiv. to koime- (var. s. of koimân to put to sleep) + -terion suffix of locality ]