A cenotaph is a monument built to honor people who died, especially soldiers, but whose bodies are buried somewhere else or were never found.

You might see a cenotaph in a town square commemorating local soldiers who died in wars far from home. Their actual graves might be in foreign countries, or they might have been lost at sea, but the cenotaph gives families and communities a place to remember them. The famous Cenotaph in London honors British soldiers from both World Wars, and people gather there each November to pay their respects.

Unlike a tombstone that marks where someone is buried, a cenotaph is purely symbolic. Think of it as a memorial that says “we will never forget” even when there's no grave to visit. Schools sometimes create memorial plaques for students or teachers, giving everyone a physical place to remember someone important who made a difference in their lives.