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Totenhaus

charnel house, ossuary building

noun TOH-ten-hows Rare
Travel & Places Landmarks

Also means

historic building for storing human remains

Usage Note

Totenhaus or Beinhaus is a structure used to store exhumed bones when churchyards became full. Found at many rural German and Austrian churches, they are historic landmarks rather than places of active burial.

Examples

"Das Totenhaus neben der alten Kirche stammt aus dem fünfzehnten Jahrhundert."

Natural Translation

The charnel house beside the old church dates from the fifteenth century.

Literal Translation

The charnel house beside the old church stems from the fifteenth century.

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