Terms Flashcards
Acknowledgment/Thank You Cards
Cards of recognition sent to friends for kindness shown to a deceased’s family. Special cards can be made for priest, pallbearers, clergy.
Aanspreeckers
City officials
New Amsterdam Dutch
Hired to invite people to funerals.
Acolyte
An altar attendant
Minor Rank
Adaptive Funeral Rite
A funeral rite that adjusted to the needs and wants of those involved.
Suits the trends of the time.
Administrator/Administratrix
A man/woman appointed by the court to settle the estate of a deceased person.
Advance Directives
Documents such as DNR (do not resuscitate) and living wills.
After Service Call
A call made on the surviving relatives after the funeral service by the funeral director or by the assistant.
Algor Mortis
The cooling of the body immediately after death to room temperature and temporary stiffening of the muscles.
Altar
An elevated place or structure on which sacrifices are offered or at which religious rites are performed.
Ambulance
Automotive vehicle especially constructed to transport injured, sick or incapacitated persons.
Ambulatory
Aisle round an apse.
American Board of Funeral Service Education
Agency/organization with responsibility to accredit colleges and programs of mortuary science/funeral service education.
Anatomical/Organ Donation
A gift of one’s body or internal organs for transplantation or medical research and education.
Anticipatory Grief
A syndrome characterized by the presence of grief in anticipation of death or loss.
Apprenticeship/Intern/Resident Trainee
A person registered for instruction in embalming and/or funeral directing under the supervision of an authorized licensed embalmer and/or funeral director.
Apse
The vaulted wall at the back (behind the altar) or some churches.
Arrangement Conference
Initial meeting between funeral director and customer.
Arrangement Form
A printed form the funeral director uses in planning the details of a funeral service with the family or friends of the deceased.
Arrangement Room
A private room in the funeral home used specifically for the funeral director and the family to make funeral and financial arrangements.
Aspirate
Process of withdrawing fluids and gases from the body cavities.
Automobile List
A list of automobiles used in the cortege showing the names of the occupants and position in the cortege.
Autopsy/Post Mortem Examination/Necropsy
The medical dissection of a remains for the purpose of ascertaining the cause of death through examination of the various body parts.
Basic Services of Funeral Director and Staff
Basic charge to each family which the funeral home assesses for their professional expertise in assisting the family.
Beneficiary
The person to whom the proceeds of a life insurance policy are payable. A person given property by a will.
Bequest
A gift of personal property in a will.
Bequeath
To give via a will, to pass on.
Bereave
To be deprive of something valuable or beloved as by death. Also to take by force.
Bereave(D) noun
The immediate family of the deceased. Suffering from grief upon the death of a loved one.
Bereavement
That event producing acute deprivation due to the death of one that emotional capital has been invested.
Bier/Catafalque
A framework for supporting a remains or casket.
Blessed Candles
Candles used for religious rites which have been previously blessed by a priest.
Boutonniere
A button-hole flower.
Brain Death
A condition that results when the brain ceases to be conscious and the body operates only as a result of mechanical assistance. No brain waves, movements, or responses to stimuli.
Burial (Ground Burial)
To inter in the ground.
Side by Side
Ground burial where the caskets of two related individuals are placed side by side.
Double-Depth
Ground burial where the caskets of two related individuals are placed on top of each other in a double depth vault.
Burial Ground
A cemetery. In America, it usually refers to a cemetery containing the remains of Native Americans.
Burial-Transit Permit
A legal paper issued by the local government authorizing disposition and transportation of dead human bodies.
Burial Garments
Wearing apparel made especially for the dead. Shroud.
Burial Insurance
An insurance policy in which the principal is paid in a funeral service and merchandise rather than cash.
Burial Site
A place for disposal of burial remains, including various forms of encasement and platform burials that are not excavated in the ground.
Burial Vault
Outside enclosure. Protects casket from water in the grave. Originally made to prevent grave robberies.
Cadaver
A body used for scientific study and dissection.
Cairn
A mound of stones marking a burial place.
Calcination
Cremation from direct heat rather than direct flames.
Call
Industry term for funeral
Candelabrum
A large ornamental candle stick holder with several branches. Each supporting a candle.
Cannibalism
Eating ones own species.
Casket
From the french word meaning container for something valuable. Designed for encasement of human remains. Wood, metal, fiberglass.
Casket Bearers
Individuals whose duty is to carry the casket when necessary during funeral service. In some countries these people are hired. Often times they are close to deceased.
Honorary Casket Bearers
Act as an escort or honor guard of the deceased. Honorary casket bearers do not carry the casket.
Casket Coach/Funeral Coach/Hearse
A motor vehicle designed and used for the transportation of casketed human remains.
Casketing
Placing of the body in the casket upon completion of embalming, dressing, cosmo.
Casket Manufacturers Association
Organization of the casket manufacturers intended to facilitate sharing of information.
Casket Piece
Usually a floral arrangement placed on the casket.
Casket Rack
A device which allows caskets to be placed on on top of the other for display purposes.
Casket Standard
A bier.
Casket Veil
A silk or net transparent covering for the casket for the purpose of keeping flies and other insects from the remains.
Catacombs
An underground cemetery of rooms or galleries.
Celebrant
The officiant who celebrates the mass.
Cemetery
Memorial Park
Area set aside for dead human remains.
No upright stones.
Cenotaph
“an empty tomb”. A monument put up in memory but no body.
Cerecloth
Fabrics used to cover corpse soaked in adhesive to hold it close.
Certified Copy of Death Certificate
A legal copy of the original death certificate.
Chancel
The place about the altar of the church. Does not include the altar.
Chapel
A building or an area of a building in which services are conducted.
Chaplain
An ecclesiastic attached to the chapel of an institution.
Charnel (House)
A place for storing bones or corpses.
Choir
The part of a cruciform church left of the crossing.
Christian Burial Permit
A letter from a priest stating the eligibility of a deceased person for funeral rites of the Roman Catholic Church.
Church Truck
Collapsable portable bier
Cinerarium
Place for storing ashes, kept in jars or urns.
Clientele
Those who seek professional help and advice.
Code of Ethics
Self imposed rules of conduct specific to the group only.
Codicil
An addition or qualification of a last will or testament.
Coffin
out modern term for casket.
Columbarium
A room or other space containing niches, or recesses, used to contain cremated remains.
Committal Service
Portion of a funeral service which is conducted at the place of interment. At cemetery.
Contumulation
The sharing of a grave or a tomb.
Coroner
Investigates a death when the question of accident, suicide, or homicide may be evident. Public office who may or may not be an MD.
Corpse
From the latin word meaning simply “body”. A dead human body.
Corpus Christi
A cross with the image of Christ attached, a crucifix.
Cortege
A procession.
Cosmetology
Use of cosmetics to restore life like appearance to deceased.
Cot
A portable stretcher.
Cremains
Cremated human remains.
Cremation
Method of disposing dead body via fire.
Cremation Association of North America
International organization of cremationists, funeral directors, consultants. Founded to promote cremation as a modern, safe and hygienic way.
Cremationists
People who advocate the practice of cremation.
Cremation Permit
Certificate issued by a local government, giving their permission for cremation of deceased.
Cremation Society
A memorial or burial group focusing on cremations.
Cremator
The individual who actually places the body into the retort and removes the residue.
Crematory
A furnace or retort for cremating a dead human body.
Cross
An emblem of the church consisting of two plain bars at right angles to each other.
Crucifer
One who carries the processional cross.
Crucifix
A cross with the Corpus Christi.
Cryogenics
Study of low temperatures. Preserving humans until a time when they can be resuscitated. In some science fiction.
Crypt
Single Crypt
Companion Crypt
Couch Crypt
Underground vault usually beneath the church.
Burial Space for 1.
Burial Space designed for 2 caskets placed end to end.
Burial Space designed for 2 caskets placed side by side.
Deanimate
Die. Has to do with freezing.
Death
Physical life is gone. Absence of metabolism.
Death Certificate
A legal document showing vital statistical data pertaining to the deceased and cause of death of the deceased.
Death Mask
Cast made of face after death. Used in Ancient Rome by actors to play the dead.
Death Notice/Funeral Notice
The paid notice in the classified section of a newspaper publicizing the death of a person. Obit, Service Info.
Death Rate/Mortality Rate
Ratio of the number of deaths to the given population.
8.38 deaths/1,000 population.
Death Rattle
Noise made by dying person as breath passes through mucuse when the cough reflex is lost.
Deceased
One in whom all physical life has ceased.
Descansos
Roadside crosses, as those erected when there is a car accident.
Dewar
Chamber for storing cryogenically preserved bodies.
Direct Cremation
No ceremonies with the bodies present.
Direct Disposition
Disposition of human remains without any rites or ceremonies.
Direct Interment/Burial
A very simple and inexpensive method of burial. Typically no viewing, no embalming, no viewing.
Dirge
Mournful musical composition, poem, or other work.
Disinter/Exhume
To remove from the grave or tomb.
Display Room/Selection Room
That portion of the funeral home which contains caskets and other funeral merchandise.
Disposition
The final resting place for the body or for cremated remains.
Doedkammers
Parlors built by the Dutch in American Colonies to have funerals with doors large enough to accommodate the pallbearers.
Door Badge
A crepe badge or floral design placed on the door indicating the death of an individual.
Etiquette
Conventional requirements as to social behavior, conduct, established in any class or community or for any occasion.
Elegy
A mournful poem or song of lamentation for the dead.
Embalm
The process of sanitizing, disinfecting and temporarily preserving a dead body by means of circulation fluid through arteries and veins.
Embalmer
One who preserves dead human bodies by injection of embalming fluid.
Entombment
Placement of the body in a casket above ground in a mausoleum.
Epitaph
A memorable inscription on a tomb or monument.
Eschatology
A branch dealing with the end of man or the world.
Escort
A motorized vehicle usually with lights, assists funeral processions safely through traffic.
Ethics
The moral code which guides the members of a profession in proper conduct.
Eucharist
Elements of holy communion.
Eulogy
A praising of an individual usually after their death.
Euthanasia (active)
The act or practice of painlessly putting to death a person suffering from terminal illness.
Euthanasia (passive)
The act of letting someone die, usually from terminal illness.
Executor/Executrix
A man/woman appointed by a will of a deceased person to carry out the provisions and settle the estate.
Excarnation
The use of animals to dispose of human remains or to strip off flesh.
Exhumist
One who removes the dead from the tomb or grave. In the past, they were called grave robbers.
Family Car
The car set aside for the use of the immediate family. Usually a limousine.
Family Room
That portion of the funeral home adjoining the service room designed for the privacy of the family.
Featherman
A person who followed a coffin carrying a feather board or tray. Looked like a large umbrella with black ostrich plumes.
Feature
Usually a statue or memorial within a specific cemetery garden made of marble, granite. Beautiful.
Final Rites
The funeral service.
First call
The initial visit of the funeral director to the place of death for the purpose of removing the deceased and securing essential information.
First Call Car
The automobile generally used for transporting un casketed human remains from the place of death to the mortuary. Usually funeral coach equipped with a cot.
Flower Car
A vehicle used to transport floral tributes. Usually a van.
Flower Room
A room in the funeral home for the receiving and caring of floral tributes.
Flower Racks/Stands
Wooden or metal stands of varying heights used for putting flowers around the casket.
Funeral
The rites held at the time of disposition of human remains. Rites with body present.
Funeral Arrangements
Funeral directors conference with the family for the purpose of completing financial and service details.
Funeral Director
An individual licensed by a state to prepare dead human remains. Person who conducts the funeral service.
Funeral Mass/Mass of Christian Burial/Mass of the Dead
Old term for Catholic funeral service
Funeral Home/Mortuary
A building used for the purpose embalming, conducting funerals, and supplying funeral merchandise.
Funeral Liturgy
The proper name for the Catholic Funeral Mass.
Funeral Service
The profession which deals with the handling of dead human bodies. Conducted after death, before burial.
Funeral Rite
An all inclusive term used to encompass all funeral and/or memorial services.
Gatehouse
A building at the main entrance to a cemetery that is controlled by a gate.
General Price List
An itemized list of funeral goods and services.
Genuflect
The act of bending the right knee in an act of humility.
Grave
An excavation in, the earth as place or interment.
Grave Liner
A non sealing container made of concrete, metal, or wood. Casket is placed inside this to protect from elements. State law does not normally require this.
Grave Marker
Helps to identify the occupant of a particular grave. Headstone.
Exedra
A memorial bench.
Grief
An emotion. Mourning.
Hearse
Vehicle specially designed to transport casketed remains.
Heir
One who inherits property by law from the deceased person.
Holographic Will
Document in written handwriting from the deceased.
Honorarium
Honorary payment for professional services.
Hospice
Treats the terminally ill
Humanistic Funeral Rite
Funeral rite that is devoid of religiousness.
Icon
A holy picture, found in churches.
Immurement
To entomb in the walls.
Indigent
One lacking the necessities of life.
Informant
One who supplies the data concerning the dead.
Inquest
An official examination before a jury to determine the case of death.
Inter/Inhume
To bury in the gound.
Inhumist
One who prefer to bury the dead instead of cremate.
Interment
The act of placing a dead body in the ground.
International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards
Organization of licensing agencies in North America. Responsible for licensing exam.
Intestate
To die leaving no valid will
Inurnment
The act of placing Cremains in an urn.
Kin
Ones relative. Referring to blood relationship.
Last Rites
Christian sacrament or ritual performed for dying person.
Lead Car
Funeral director and clergy ride. Leads the procession to the church/cemetery.
Lectern
A desk designed for the delivery of a sermon, lecture or speech.
Legacy
A gift of personal property by will.
Legatee
One who inherits personal property under a will.
License
Authorization granting permission to perform duties which, without such permission, would be illegal.
Lot
A space set aside in a cemetery for several grave space.
Lowering Device
Mechanism used for lowering the casket into the grave.
Lych
Old English term meaning “body”. Either living or dead.
Malpractice
Improper professional act or treatment by a professional person.
Mass
Sequence of prayers and ceremonies of the Roman Catholic Church.
Memorial
Bronze
Upright
Commonly known as a marker, monument, or tombstone.
Bronze-typically flat.
U
Memorial Folder/Service Folder
A folder handed to the friends at the funeral. Giving details about deceased and funeral.
Memorial Park
Contains sections dedicated in memorium. Only flat markers are used.
Memorial Service
Religious service conducted in memory of the deceased. No remains being present.
Morbid
Of or relating to disease, gruesome.
Morbidity Rate
The rate of illness of a population.
Morgue
A place to which remains are moved to pending identification by relatives.
Mortality Rate
The rate of death of a population.
Mortician
A funeral director or embalmer.
Mortuary
Synonym for funeral home. Building for the caring of the dead.
Mortuary Science
The part of the funeral service profession dealing with the proper preparation of the body for final disposition.
Mourner
One who is present at the funeral out of affection for the deceased.
Mourning
An adjustment process which expresses grief/sorrow.
Mutes
Professional mourners in Victorian funerals.
Narthex
The entryway to the church proper.
National Association of Colleges of Mortuary Science
Privately sponsored schools with the goal of advancement of mortuary science.
National Board Examination
Examination given that is recognized by more than one state.
National Foundation of Funeral Service
Educational trust to advance the education of the profession.
National Funeral Directors Association
Oldest and largest funeral directors organization in the world. Provides education, info, products, services, to help members enhance the quality of services to families.
National Funeral Directors and Morticians Association
Established to represent specific interests of African-American funeral directors.
Nave
The main body of the church, where seating is provided.
Necrobiosis
Decay or death.
Necrogenic
Resulting from corpses.
Necrogeneous
Growing on dead tissue
Necrolatry
Worshiping corpses
Necromancy
Communicating with the dead to predict the future.
Necrophagia
Cannibalism.
Necrophagous
Feeding on corpses.
Necrophilia
Obsession with death. Erotic attraction to corpses.
Necrophobia
Fear of the dead.
Necropolis
A cemetery, a large expansive one in an ancient city.
Neomort
Brain dead bodies kept alive by machines.
Neurosuspension
Cryonic preservation of brains, usually still in the head.
N.F.D.A.
National Funeral Directors Association
Niche
A recess used for the permanent placement of cremains.
N.S.M.
Changed name to.. Selected Ind. Fun. Home.
Nuncupative Will
An oral statement by a testator, in the presence of witnesses. to be his or her last will and testament.
Obituary
A notice of the death of a person.
Obsequies
Funeral Rites or burial ceremony.
Officiant
One who conducts the religious service.
Order of the Golden Rule
Committed to quality services and high standards. Membership is limited to one independently owned funeral home per community.
Ossuary
A place where bones are kept. “bone pit”.
Other Preparation of the Body
Cosmetology, hairdressing, restoration.
Dressing and Casketing
Washing and Disinfecting
Outside Enclosure
Wood, metal, concrete container casket is placed in for underground burial.
Pall
black, purple or white cloth covering placed over the casket. Signifies that in the eyes of god “everyone is equal”.
Pall Bearers
Person or group of people who carry the pall.
Paschal Candle
A candle placed between the casket and altar during the funeral mass.
Perpetual Care
Established trust fund governed by the state that ensures maintenance of cemetery property.
Personal Representative
New term for Executor/executrix and administrator/administratrix.
Placophobia
fear of tombstones
Plot
Specific area of ground in a cemetery owned by a family or individual. Contains two or more graves.
Podium
A platform or stage.
Polyandrium
a cemetery, originally for people of great battles.
Postlude
Music played at the close of a service.
Post Mortem
After death.
Potters Field
Piece of ground reserved as a burial place for strangers.
Prayer Card
Card usually given out at Catholic visitations. Religious picture, and prayer.
Pre-Arranged Funeral
Funeral arrangements made prior to the time of death.
Pre-Arranged Funeral Trust
A method by which an individual can prepay their funeral expenses.
Prefunding
Same as pre-arrangement. Except the funeral is paid in advance through a trust or life insurance.
Prelude
Music played prior to service start.
Preparation Room
Portion of the funeral home designed and equipped for embalming dead human bodies.
Prie Dieu
A kneeling rail, small desk with a place to kneel and space for prayer book.
Preparation Table
An operating table located in the preparation room. Body is placed on this for embalming and dressing.
Procession
Vehicular movement of the funeral from the place where the funeral service was conducted to the cemetery.
Processional
The procession at the beginning of the service.
Psychology
Scientific study of human behavior.
Pulverization
Grinding of bone fragments after cremation, also called processing.
Purge
Discharge from the deceased through the mouth, nose, ears of matter from the stomach and intestine. Caused by improper ineffectual embalming, due to the putrefaction.
Pyre
A pile of things to burn a corpse on.
Reader
One authorized to read the lessons and scriptures in a Christian Science church service.
Receiving Vault
A structure designed for the reception and temporary accommodation of bodies which are not to be immediately interred.
Reception Room
Portion of the funeral home in which guests or callers are received.
Recessional
A procession at the end of a service.
Register Book
A book made available by the funeral directors for recording the names of people visiting the funeral home to pay their respects to the deceased.
Relics
An object kept for religious reasons.
Religion
Pattern of behavior made up of sacred beliefs.
Reliquary
Container for holding relics
Remains
The body of a deceased person.
Repose
to lie in state.
Reposing Room/Visitation Room
Specially designed room in the funeral home where the remains lie in state from the time of embalming until the service.
Restorative Art
Requiring repair of injuries due to disease or tauma
Retort
The burning chamber in a crematory.
Rubrics
Stated directions regarding church practices and procedures approved by the church.
Sanctuary
The part of the church about the altar. Includes the altar
Scapular
A piece of cloth having religious significance. Worn around the neck/over the shoulder.
Sect
A body of persons distinguished by faith from other bodies adhering to the same general system.
Sepulcher
“a burial place”
Service Car/Utility Vehicle
Utilized to transport chairs, church trucks, flower stands, shipping cases.
Service Room
Funeral services are conducted in this room.
Sexton
One who cares for a church or cemetary.
Shelter House
Added for beautiful cemetery landscaping. Has a roof, contains seats, benches.
Ship in
Funeral director receives a body from another funeral director.
Ship Out
A situation where the deceased is transferred to another funeral home.
Shipping Case
Container in which casket is placed for shipment.
Shroud
Clothing for the dead.
SIFH
Selected Independent Funeral Homes.
Independent, locally owned funeral homes. Better serve families is the goal.
Sin Eaters
Eat ritual foods to help the dead out of purgatory.
Slip Coffins
Coffins with floors that can come off, leaving the body behind, so they can be used again.
Speaker
One who officiates at a Mormon funeral service.
Spiritual Bouquet Cards
Documents similar to Mass cards.
Prayer Card
Still born
Infant dead at birth
Suicide
Deliberate and intentional destruction of one’s own life by a person
Survivor
The persons outliving the deceased, immediate family.
Suttee
Tradition of self sacrifice at the death of a spouse (normally husband) formerly found in India. It’s illegal today.
Testate
Having made and left a valid will.
Testator/testatrix
A man/woman who made a will or testament.
Thanatology
The study of death.
Thanatomimesis
Pretending to be dead.
Taphephobia
Fear of being buried alive.
Taphophile
One who love cemeteries, funerals, and the trappings of death.
Tomb
General term for designating all places of disposition.
Trade Embalmer
Licensed embalmer who is not employed by one specific funeral home, but does the embalming.
Traditional Funeral Rites
Funeral rites that follow a ritual or ceremony. Influenced by religious beliefs.
Transepts
The wings of the main part of a church.
Transfer Case
Sealed case in which the body is placed for shipment and may be reused again.
Undertaker
applied to a funeral director/embalmer.
University Mortuary Science Education Association
Organization of college and university based funeral service programs.
Urn
A vase holding cremated remains.
Vault
Outer container that houses a casket in the ground. Has a top seal. Protects from elements.
Vestments
Ritual garment of the clergy.
Vigil
A lookout or “watch” for the dead. kept an eye on the deceased night before services.
Visitation
A scheduled visit. Body is present.
Vital Statistics
The collection and interpretation of birth, marriage, divorce, sickness, and death.
Vivisepul Ture
Burial Alive
Wake
Irish practice of watching the body by candlelight the night before the funeral. Making sure deceased is actually dead.
Widow/Widower
Loss of a spouse by death.
Winding Sheet
A sheet to the hold body before funeral, tied at both ends, exposing at the head.
