Word
funeral
Phoneticsfu·ner·al
US/ˈfjunɝəɫ/
UK/fjˈuːnəɹəl/
Definitions
01burial ceremony
n. a ceremony for a person who has died, where friends and family gather to say goodbye.
n. a formal ceremony held for a deceased person, typically involving the presence of the body before burial or cremation.
“Many people attended the funeral to pay their respects to the family.”
“The funeral was conducted with great solemnity, reflecting the high esteem in which the community held the late professor.”
Usage
Often used with the verbs 'attend', 'hold', or 'conduct'.
Teaching tip
While 'memorial service' is similar, a 'funeral' traditionally implies the body is present.
02relating to a funeral
adj. used to describe things related to a funeral, like a car or music.
adj. pertaining to or used at a funeral; often functions as an attributive noun.
“The funeral procession moved slowly through the quiet streets.”
“The funeral director handled all the logistical arrangements with professional discretion and sensitivity.”
Usage
Usually appears before a noun, such as 'funeral procession' or 'funeral director'.
Teaching tip
Note that 'funereal' is a separate adjective meaning 'sad or gloomy', whereas 'funeral' as an adjective is more literal.
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“As it dawns on them that Diane’s son – Jamie’s employer – may not make it to his stepfather’s funeral, these strangers navigate their way through the grey area of their flung-together friendship.” “Photograph: Rungroj Yongrit/EPA The reforms were foreshadowed as multi-day Buddhist funerals for the victims continued to take place.” Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French funerailles pl (“funeral rites”), from Medieval Latin fūnerālia (“funeral rites”), originally neuter plural of Late Latin fūnerālis (“having to do with a funeral”), from Latin fūnus (“funeral, death, corpse”), origin unknown, perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰew- (“to die”). Singular and plural used interchangeably in English until circa 1700. The adjective funereal is first attested 1725, by influence of Middle French funerail, from Latin funereus, from funus. First attested in 1437. Displaced native Old English līcþeġnung (literally “dead body service”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/funeral