mortuary

[ mawr-choo-er-ee ]

noun

, plural mor·tu·ar·ies.

1. funeral home.
2. a customary gift formerly claimed by and due to the incumbent of a parish in England from the estate of a deceased parishioner.

adjective

1. of or relating to the burial of the dead.
2. pertaining to or connected with death.

mortuary

/ ˈmɔːtʃʊərɪ /

noun

1. Also calledmorgue a building where dead bodies are kept before cremation or burial

adjective

1. of or relating to death or burial

Other Words From

• pre·mortu·ary adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of mortuary¹

1350–1400; Middle English mortuarie < Medieval Latin mortuārium, noun use of neuter of Latin mortuārius of the dead, equivalent to mortu ( us ) dead + -ārius -ary

Word History and Origins

Origin of mortuary¹

C14 (as n, a funeral gift to a parish priest): via Medieval Latin mortuārium (n) from Latin mortuārius of the dead

Example Sentences

There’s like a “show me the long form birth certificate” version of my mortuary school degree.

From Freakonomics

Well over 50 percent of mortuary school graduates are women now.

From Freakonomics

Many mortuaries have had to turn away grieving families because they're at capacity, the owner of Los Angeles Funeral Service told ABC News.

From Axios

Turns out my former mortuary polling place has lots of company.

From Voice of San Diego

Having spent 11 hours in cold storage, she began moving around within her body bag, where mortuary staff found her alive and well.

From The Daily Beast

After fifteen minutes of CPR he is pronounced dead and taken to a mortuary, where attendants see him breathing.

From The Daily Beast

Maddox served in Iraq as a mortuary affairs specialist during the 2004 siege of Fallujah.

From The Daily Beast

A Stars Stripes article included a photo of the soldiers arriving at the port mortuary at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware.

From The Daily Beast

One “gallant old doctor” says he finds it unsuitable she is in a mortuary.

From The Daily Beast

It lay in a rough wooden shell coffin, in a dark hole attached to an old city church, and used as a mortuary.

From Project Gutenberg

At the entrance to the graveyard is the lich-gate and mortuary, where many wrecked seamen were taken for burial.

From Project Gutenberg

It was the mortuary ground of these Indians that occupied the only level spot we could get for the block-house.

From Project Gutenberg

In the mortuary of a large hospital the scene presented was too horrible for detailed description.

From Project Gutenberg

In the mortuary chapel is a rudely carved and painted wooden statue of Haimon holding the dragon's tongue in his hand.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• morgue