Category:Mortuary

Mor"tu*a*ry, n.; pl. Mortuaries. Etym: [LL. mortuarium. See Mortuary, a.]

1. A sort of ecclesiastical heriot, a customary gift claimed by, and due to, the minister of a parish on the death of a parishioner. It seems to have been originally a voluntary bequest or donation, intended to make amends for any failure in the payment of tithes of which the deceased had been guilty.

2. A burial place; a place for the dead.

3. A place for the reception of the dead before burial; a deadhouse; a morgue.

mortuary Mor"tu*a*ry, a. Etym: [L. mortuarius, fr. mortuus dead: cf. F. mortuaire. See Mortal.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to the dead; as, mortuary monuments. Mortuary urn, an urn for holding the ashes of the dead.