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mortuary

[ mawr-choo-er-ee ]
/ ˈmɔr tʃuˌɛr i /
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noun, plural mor·tu·ar·ies.
a customary gift formerly claimed by and due to the incumbent of a parish in England from the estate of a deceased parishioner.
adjective
of or relating to the burial of the dead.
pertaining to or connected with death.
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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

OTHER WORDS FROM mortuary

pre·mor·tu·ar·y, adjective

Words nearby mortuary

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use mortuary in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for mortuary

mortuary
/ (ˈmɔːtʃʊərɪ) /

noun plural -aries
Also called: morgue a building where dead bodies are kept before cremation or burial
adjective
of or relating to death or burial

Word Origin for mortuary

C14 (as n, a funeral gift to a parish priest): via Medieval Latin mortuārium (n) from Latin mortuārius of the dead
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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