mortuary

American  

[mawr-choo-er-ee] / ˈmɔr tʃuˌɛr i /

noun

• mortuaries
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• premortuary
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• mortuaries
  plural

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mortuary mortuaries

The report also highlighted a "siloed way of working" described by some families between the bereavement service, mortuary and funeral directors.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

Eight bodies have been found in a state of "advanced deterioration" in the mortuary of an NHS trust, after hospitals ran out of freezer space.

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026

The review team identified significant failures in post-death care, including concerns related to loss of dignity, poor mortuary processes, lack of effective identification systems and inappropriate communication.

From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026

Two men, 55 and 59, were detained on suspicion of misconduct in a public office, in connection with "operating practices in the mortuary service" provided by the trust.

From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026

He picked up Lila Goodchild, cradling her in her opaque bag like a sleeping child, and placed her carefully on the table in the chilly mortuary, as if he were afraid to wake her.

From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman

The pathologist added that some of the bodies appeared to have originated from hospitals and mortuaries but that would be further determined after autopsies.

From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2026

Iranian mortuaries separate the bodies of men and women for religious reasons.

From BBC ● Jan. 14, 2026

A BBC Investigation in August reported Ms Upton had been banned from entering any of Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust's mortuaries and maternity wards for keeping the bodies of babies at her home.

From BBC ● Nov. 12, 2025

The team have also been working on records in relation to cemeteries, baptisms, hospitals and mortuaries.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2025

I've dug down in the mortuaries of other men too often—long as a man doesn 't believe his own lies, he's on guard and doesn't get caught.

From The Freebooters of the Wilderness by Agnes C. (Agnes Christina) Laut

Related Words

• morgue