mortuary

American  

[mawr-choo-er-ee] / ˈmɔr tʃuˌɛr i /

noun

plural

mortuaries

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.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the burial of the dead.

2. pertaining to or connected with death.

mortuary British  

/ ˈmɔːtʃʊərɪ /

noun

1. Also called: morgue.  a building where dead bodies are kept before cremation or burial

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adjective

1. of or relating to death or burial

Other Word Forms

• premortuary adjective

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

Example Sentences

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

The images, displayed in a south Tehran mortuary, are one of the only ways families have been able to identify their dead loved ones.

From BBC

A brother and sister who claim their father died because of medical mistakes say they are prepared to leave his body in a hospital mortuary until they "get answers".

From BBC

Multiple sources have told BBC Persian that bodies are being held in mortuaries and hospitals and that security forces will not release them unless their relatives hand over money.

From BBC

BBC Verify and BBC Persian have previously reported on images emerging from this mortuary but we are not showing these new videos because the images are too graphic.

From BBC

Related Words

• morgue