Funeral Glossary: 44+ Funeral Terms Explained

A

Ashes - The cremated remains of the deceased, also called cremated remains or cremains. After cremation, ashes typically weigh 3...
Arrangement Conference - The initial meeting between family members and the funeral director to plan the funeral service. During this meeting, yo...

B

Beneficiary - A person or entity designated to receive benefits from a will, trust, life insurance policy, or funeral plan. Beneficiar...
Burial - The act of placing a deceased person's body in the ground, typically in a cemetery or natural burial ground. Traditional...

C

Casket - A rectangular burial container, typically more ornate than a coffin, with a split lid allowing the upper half to open fo...
Cemetery - A dedicated burial ground for the deceased. UK cemeteries may be owned by local councils, churches, or private companies...
Chapel of Rest - A quiet, private room at a funeral home where the deceased is cared for and where family members can visit to pay their ...
Coffin - A tapered, six-sided container for the deceased, wider at the shoulders and narrower at the feet. Traditional in the UK,...
Columbarium - A structure with niches (small compartments) designed to hold urns containing cremated remains. Found in cemeteries, chu...
Cremation - The process of reducing a deceased body to ashes through high-temperature burning (typically 760-1150°C). Cremation take...
Crematorium - A facility containing cremators (furnaces) and often chapel spaces for funeral services. UK crematoriums typically book ...

D

Death Certificate - An official document issued by the registrar confirming a person's death, including name, date, and cause of death. Deat...
Direct Cremation - A simple, low-cost cremation without a funeral service beforehand. The deceased is collected, cremated, and ashes return...
Disbursement - Third-party costs that the funeral director pays on your behalf, then adds to your final bill. Disbursements include cre...

E

Embalming - A preservation process that temporarily delays decomposition by replacing bodily fluids with chemical preservatives. Emb...
Estate - All property, assets, and possessions owned by a deceased person at the time of death, including property, money, invest...
Eulogy - A speech celebrating the life, character, and achievements of the deceased, typically delivered by a close friend or fam...
Executor - The person named in a will to carry out the deceased's wishes and administer their estate. Executors handle probate, pay...

F

Funeral Director - A licensed professional who arranges and conducts funerals. Also called undertakers or morticians, funeral directors han...
Funeral Home - The business premises of a funeral director, containing facilities for storing and preparing the deceased, offices for a...
Funeral Service - A ceremony honoring the deceased, typically held at a crematorium, church, cemetery, or other venue. Services may be rel...

G

Grave - An excavated plot of land in a cemetery or churchyard where a coffin is buried. Graves can be single-depth (one burial) ...
Green Burial - An environmentally-friendly burial using biodegradable coffins (cardboard, wicker, or untreated wood) in natural burial ...

H

Headstone - A permanent memorial marker placed at the head of a grave, typically made of granite, marble, or stone. Headstones displ...
Hearse - A specially-designed vehicle for transporting a coffin to and from the funeral service. Traditional hearses are black wi...

I

Interment - The formal term for burial—placing a body or cremated remains in the ground or a tomb. Interment fees (£500-£1,000 for b...

L

Limousine - Luxury vehicles provided by funeral directors to transport immediate family to and from the funeral service. Traditional...

M

Memorial Service - A ceremony celebrating the deceased's life without the body present, held weeks or months after burial/cremation. Memori...
Mortuary - A refrigerated facility where deceased bodies are stored before burial or cremation. Hospital mortuaries hold bodies tem...

N

Natural Burial - Burial in a natural setting like woodland, meadow, or conservation area using biodegradable materials and avoiding embal...

O

Obituary - A published notice announcing a death, typically appearing in local newspapers or online. Obituaries include the decease...
Order of Service - A printed booklet distributed at funerals listing the service structure, hymns, readings, and prayers. Order of service ...

P

Pallbearer - A person who helps carry or escort the coffin during the funeral. Traditionally six pallbearers carry the coffin (three ...
Prepaid Funeral Plan - A plan allowing individuals to arrange and pay for their own funeral in advance, locking in today's prices. Plans cost £...
Probate - The legal process of administering a deceased person's estate—validating the will, paying debts and taxes, and distribut...

R

Repatriation - The process of returning a deceased person's body from abroad to their home country for burial or cremation. Internation...

S

Scattering (of Ashes) - The act of dispersing cremated remains in a meaningful location. Popular scattering locations include gardens, woodlands...
Simple Funeral - A no-frills funeral focusing on essential services only: collection of the deceased, simple coffin, transport, and buria...

U

Undertaker - Another term for a funeral director—the professional who "undertakes" responsibility for funeral arrangements. The term ...
Urn - A container designed to hold cremated remains (ashes). Urns come in many materials—ceramic, metal, wood, biodegradable m...

V

Viewing - An opportunity for family and friends to see the deceased before the funeral, typically at the funeral home's chapel of ...

W

Wake - A gathering held after the funeral service where family and friends share food, drinks, and memories of the deceased. Wa...
Will - A legal document stating how a person wants their estate distributed after death, naming an executor, and specifying fun...
Woodland Burial - A type of natural burial in designated woodland sites where trees are planted instead of traditional headstones. Bodies ...

Funeral Glossary

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