French Conversation · Level 101
60 words
French word
charnier
Pronunciation
IPA/ʃaʁnje/
Meaning
- masculine nounmass grave
Example
La police a mis au jour un charnier dans la vallée.
The police uncovered a mass grave in the valley.
More examples
Les experts tentent d'identifier les victimes du charnier.
Experts are trying to identify the victims of the mass grave.
Core concept
A mass grave site marked by the concentrated presence of numerous bodies rather than a single burial.
Common phrases
victimes du charnier
victims of the mass grave
un charnier récent
a recent mass grave
site d'un charnier
site of a mass grave
Similar words
fosse commune: A pit or plot dug to bury many bodies together.
tombe: An individual grave or burial place for one or a few dead people.
cimetière: A large burial ground with graves and tombstones.
Definition in French
Désigne un endroit où s'accumulent et sont enterrés en masse des cadavres, terme employé surtout dans les comptes rendus officiels ou les articles de presse.
Word origin
The French noun charnier developed from Old French charnier and Latin carnarium, which referred to a place connected with flesh and the dead.
Usage tips
- Charnier is a marked term of news and official reporting, so ordinary conversation often uses a more general expression instead.
Other meanings
- charnel housenoun
Opposites
- inhumationburialnoun
- tombegravenoun