morgue

American  

[mawrg] / mɔrg /

noun

1. a place in which bodies are kept, especially the bodies of victims of violence or accidents, pending identification or burial.

2. a reference file of old clippings, mats, books, etc., in a newspaper office.

3. the room containing such a reference file.

4. any place, as a room or file, where records, information, or objects are kept for unexpected but possible future use.

5. such records, information, or objects.

---

morgue ¹ British  

/ mɔːɡ /

noun

1. another word for mortuary

2. informal a room or file containing clippings, files, etc, used for reference in a newspaper

---

morgue ² British  

/ mɔrɡ /

noun

1. superiority; haughtiness

---

Etymology

Origin of morgue

1815–25; < French; name of building in Paris housing unidentified dead bodies

Explanation

Most hospitals have an area called a morgue, where dead bodies are stored until they are buried or cremated. After a person dies, that person's body is often placed in a morgue until it can be transported to a funeral home, church, or temple for a memorial service or funeral. Occasionally, a body needs to be identified by relatives, and that often happens in a morgue as well. Another word for morgue is mortuary. The word comes from the French La Morgue, which was one specific building in 1800s Paris. It replaced the much more blunt term "dead house."

Example Sentences

It is all anyone in Khartoum can hope for by way of a morgue.

From Barron's • Apr. 27, 2026

In the morgue, a relative sobbed silently, his forearm covering his eyes.

From Barron's • Jan. 22, 2026

Qaiser said that officials were unable to help them, describing how his family had been told to visit both the burns centre and the morgue at different times.

From BBC • Jan. 20, 2026

“We went to the morgue and there he was,” Irma said.

From Slate • Jan. 15, 2026

They asked the same thing of the emergency medical crews pulling up to the hospital morgue.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

Related Words

• funeral home