cenotaph

Plural: cenotaphs

Noun

• A monument erected in honor of a person or group whose remains are elsewhere.
• a monument built to honor people whose remains are interred elsewhere or whose remains cannot be recovered
• A monument, generally in the form of an empty tomb, erected to honour the dead whose bodies lie elsewhere, especially members of the armed forces who died in battle.

Examples

• A cenotaph was erected for him in Gaul, while his body was taken to Rome and inclosed in a magnificent tomb.
• The space where his high-scoring word once was felt like a CENOTAPH after his opponent challenged it.

Synonyms

empty tomb