Which ancient wonder gave its name to the modern word “mausoleum”?

The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus gave its name to the modern word “mausoleum.”

The monument was built as the tomb of Mausolus, the ruler of Caria, and his wife Artemisia II. It stood at Halicarnassus, a city in present-day Bodrum in southwestern Turkey.

Its fame was so great that later writers used Mausolus’s name as a general term for an elaborate above-ground tomb. The word passed through Latin and other languages before becoming the English “mausoleum.”

The building combined a large tomb chamber with a temple-like upper structure and sculptural decoration. Earthquakes damaged it over many centuries, and stones from the ruins were later reused in other construction, including Bodrum Castle.