n.
Pronunciation: ' ka-t ə - ˌ k ō m
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English catacumb, Middle French catacombe, probably from Old Italian catacomba, from Late Latin catacumbae, plural
Date: 15th century
1 : a subterranean cemetery of galleries with recesses for tombs ― usually used in plural
2 : something resembling a catacomb: as a : an underground passageway or group of passageways b : a complex set of interrelated things <the endless catacomb s of formal education ― Kingman Brewster † 1988>