undertaker

American  

[uhn-der-tey-ker, uhn-der-tey-ker] / ˈʌn dərˌteɪ kər, ˌʌn dərˈteɪ kər /

noun

1. funeral director.

2. a person who undertakes something.

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undertaker British  

/ ˈʌndəˌteɪkə /

noun

1. a person whose profession is the preparation of the dead for burial or cremation and the management of funerals; funeral director

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Etymology

Origin of undertaker

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; undertake, -er ¹

Example Sentences

Now undertakers are offering dedicated spaces to families.

From Barron's

She contacted the undertaker and called Adek’s children, who were my next of kin, and then called Frank to tell him the news.

From Literature

A pilgrimage to the oldest concrete road in America detours to meeting a descendant of the undertaker who embalmed Chef Boyardee.

From Los Angeles Times

She would also make a “good detective, spy, and criminal mastermind. And undertaker.”

From Los Angeles Times

Doing so was the role of the undertaker, Van Der Zee explains, though the photographer had his own aesthetic duties.

From The Wall Street Journal