US /ˈmɔɹtʃuˌɛɹi/ UK /ˈmɔːtʃuəri/
noun adj Freq #15246

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    a room or building where dead bodies are kept before burial, cremation, or examination

    The body was taken to the hospital mortuary for identification.

  2. 2
    adj

    relating to death, funerals, or the care of the dead

    The museum displayed several mortuary objects from the ancient tomb.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 noun · a room or building where... morguedead room
2 adj · relating to death,... funeraryfunereal
Word family
Related forms morticianfuneralmorgue

Etymology

From Middle English mortuary and Anglo-Norman mortuarie, ultimately from Medieval Latin mortuarium, "receptacle for the dead," and mortuarius, "pertaining to the dead." These derive from Latin mortuus, "dead," the past participle of mori, "to die."

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