columbarium

Meaning

Noun

• A large, sometimes architecturally impressive building for housing a large colony of pigeons or doves, particularly those of ancien regime France.
• A pigeonhole in such a dovecote.
• A building, a vault or a similar place for the respectful and usually public storage of cinerary urns containing cremated remains.
• A niche in such a building for housing urns.

Origin

• Borrowed from Latin columbārium, from columba + -ārium.