From the Greek noun σάρξ (sárx), meaning "flesh, body, that which covers the bones," and the Greek verb ἔφαγον (éphagon), meaning "to eat, devour," a sarcophagus is a coffin-like receptacle for a corpse. Typically carved from stone, often ornately, and displayed above ground or placed in a niche in the wall of a tomb, the word sarcophagus literally means "flesh eater," as it is the place where the flesh of a deceased body decomposes, leaving behind the skeleton.