Graveyards vs Cemeteries
graveyard : a burial ground usually associated with a church, usually smaller than a cemetery. Graves are added as people die and there is usually no planning or structuring around where they are buried.
cemetery : a burial ground not necessarily associated with a church. Often a large plot of land is purchased to use as a burial ground, whereas a graveyard is often a small patch of graves on land existing for other reasons. In cemeteries, grave plots are usually planned on grid layouts with other landscaping and people can reserve spaces before death.
Mausoleum, Crypt, or Tomb?
mausoleum : an above-ground building constructed as a monument containing the burial chamber of a dead person or group. These buildings are usually designed with symbols of religious devotion or power, and are usually contstructed due to family tradition or preference. Although they sometimes have historical significance, the only purpose is to entomb someone above, rather than below ground.
crypt : stone chamber beneath the floor of a building, usually a church, typically containing coffins, sarcophagi, or religious artifacts. The first crypts came during ancient Christianity in Greece, Italy, and South Africa, as tombs for saints, priests, and martyrs. Crypts are often chambers inside mausoleums (and may be above ground).
tomb : a tomb is a place where remains of the dead are placed. It can be above or below ground. Entombment is distinct from bural practices, where a dead body is buried. Mausoleums and crypts are tombs.
