Word
mortuary
Phoneticsmor·tu·ary
US/ˈmɔɹtʃuˌɛɹi/
UK/mˈɔːtjuːəɹˌi/
Definitions
01storage for the dead
n. a room or building where dead bodies are kept before a funeral or medical examination.
n. a facility, often within a hospital or funeral home, where deceased bodies are stored pending identification, autopsy, or burial.
“The hospital staff moved the body to the mortuary while they waited for the family to arrive.”
“The coroner requested that the remains be transported to the city mortuary for a more detailed forensic examination.”
Synonyms
02related to death
adj. connected to death, funerals, or the burial of the dead.
adj. relating to the burial of the dead or the rituals of death; funereal in character.
“The museum displayed ancient mortuary masks used in royal funerals.”
“The archaeological site revealed complex mortuary practices that suggested a highly stratified social structure in the ancient civilization.”
Formal
Synonyms
03historical church gift
n. a gift or payment once given to a church when a person died.
n. a customary gift or payment formerly claimed by the minister of a parish upon the death of a parishioner.
“In the past, the family had to pay a mortuary to the local priest.”
“The legal dispute centered on an unpaid mortuary claimed by the vicar following the passing of the wealthy landowner.”
Archaic · Technical
Usage
Used primarily in historical or legal contexts regarding ecclesiastical law.
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“Lyubov was still searching for her mother's body, until she visited the mortuary last October during a trip to the regional capital Kursk.” “Authorities have begun burying human remains because there isn’t enough mortuary space to prevent them from decomposing.” Etymology
From Middle English mortuary, from Anglo-Norman mortuarie (“gift to a parish priest from a deceased parishioner”), from Medieval Latin mortuārium (“receptacle for the dead; mortuary”), neuter form of mortuārius (“of or pertaining to the dead”), from Latin mortuus, perfect passive participle of morior (“to die”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/mortuary