ossuary

The word 'ossuary' is a direct borrowing from Medieval Latin ossuarium, which itself is a compound of Latin os (bone) and the locative suffix -arium (a place for). The Latin os can be traced back to the Proto-Indo-European root h₃ésth₁, meaning 'bone', which also gave rise to Greek osteon (as in 'osteopathy') and Sanskrit ásthi. The suffix -arium evolved from a neuter form of the Latin adjectival suffix -arius. Thus, the literal meaning, 'a place for bones', has remained semantically transparent and unchanged from its Latin origins, specifically referring to a chest, building, or site where skeletal remains are deposited, often after an initial burial.

Structure: ossu (bone) + ary (place for) 'ossu' is from Latin ossu-, the stem of os (bone). 'ary' is a suffix from Latin -arium, denoting a place or receptacle.