särˈkäfəgəs, sȧˈk- noun
( plural sarcopha·gi -fəˌgī, -fəˌjī, -fəˌgē ; also sarcophaguses -fəgəsə̇z)
Etymology: Latin sarcophagus ( lapis ) limestone used for coffins, from Greek ( lithos ) sarkophagos, literally flesh-eating stone, from sark- sarc- + -phagos (from phagein to eat) — more at baksheesh
1. obsolete : a limestone used among the Greeks for the construction of coffins and held to disintegrate the flesh of bodies deposited in it
2.
[Latin, from Greek sarkophagos, from sarkophagos ( lithos ) limestone used for coffins]
: a coffin made of stone, often ornamented with sculpture, and usually placed in a church, tomb, or vault
3. : a kind of wine cooler forming part of or standing near a sideboard and used chiefly in the 18th century