mortuary
Americannoun
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a customary gift formerly claimed by and due to the incumbent of a parish in England from the estate of a deceased parishioner.
adjective
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of or relating to the burial of the dead.
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pertaining to or connected with death.
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of mortuary
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
Explanation
A mortuary is a room or area, often in a hospital, where dead bodies are kept. You can also use the word mortuary to talk about a funeral home. When a person dies in a hospital, his body is usually moved to a mortuary before an autopsy takes place. A mortuary is also where a body is kept until it's buried or cremated. Another word for a mortuary is a morgue, which is more commonly used in the United States. In the 1500's, mortuary was used as an adjective meaning "pertaining to death," from the Latin root word mortuus, or "dead."
Vocabulary lists containing mortuary
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Among those helping prepare victims for burial was Kazem Pourzahedian, a fabric merchant in Minab who for 10 years has volunteered at a local mortuary to perform the ritual washing of the dead.
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026
John Mason, an attorney representing the company, said that the mortuary strongly disputes that it mishandled Ramos’ remains and intends to vigorously defend itself against the lawsuit.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 16, 2026
The cases are then moved to waiting vehicles that transport them to the mortuary facility at Dover, where the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System conducts identification and prepares the remains for burial.
From Barron's • Mar. 6, 2026
There, detectives discovered the body of 87-year-old William Mitchell, which had been in the mortuary room for 36 days and showed "obvious signs of decomposition", the court heard.
From BBC • Feb. 19, 2026
The mortuary delivered Chris’s ashes to their hotel in a plastic box.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
