crypt

Where does the word "crypt" come from? It comes from Greek kryptos, passing through Latin before entering English (1400s).

Crypt’s story begins in Greek: kryptos meant “hidden, concealed.” Hidden, the root of anything concealed. By ancient, the word had taken hold in Latin as crypta. Adopted for an underground vault or chamber. It reached English by 1400s as crypt. Settled as the word for a burial vault beneath a church. Today, crypt means an underground vault or chamber, especially beneath a church.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient kryptos "hidden, concealed", hidden, the root of anything concealed.
2. Stage 2 · Latin · ancient crypta "an underground vault", adopted for an underground vault or chamber.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1400s crypt "an underground burial vault", settled as the word for a burial vault beneath a church.