Funeral and cremation glossary
Short answer: this glossary explains 51 common funeral, cremation, burial and after-death terms in plain words, and lists the other names people use for each one. Rules differ by state, so confirm details with a licensed provider.
A
- Advance directive
- A written document that records a person's wishes for medical care and names someone to decide on their behalf if they cannot. It generally covers care during life, not funeral arrangements.Also called: living will, health care proxy, medical power of attorney.
- Alternative container
- A simple, combustible container, such as cardboard or particleboard, used for cremation instead of a casket. Under the FTC Funeral Rule, providers of direct cremation must offer one.Also called: cremation container, cardboard cremation box.
- Aquamation
- A gentle alternative to flame cremation that uses water, warmth, and an alkaline solution to reduce a person's body to bone fragments. It is legal in a growing number of states.Also called: alkaline hydrolysis, water cremation, resomation.
- At-need
- Funeral arrangements made after a death has occurred, usually within days. It is the opposite of pre-need planning.Also called: immediate need arrangements.
B
- Bereavement leave
- Time away from work to grieve and make arrangements after the death of a family member. No federal law requires it, and policies depend on the employer and, in some cases, the state.Also called: funeral leave, compassionate leave.
- Burial permit
- An official authorization, often issued by a local or state health office, allowing a burial or other disposition of a person's body. The funeral director usually obtains it.Also called: burial-transit permit, disposition permit, permit for disposition.
- Burial vault
- A sturdy outer container, often made of concrete or metal, that surrounds a casket in the grave. It is usually a cemetery requirement rather than a legal one.Also called: outer burial container, grave vault.
C
- Casket
- A rigid container, usually rectangular with a hinged lid, used to hold a person's body for a viewing, funeral, or burial. Caskets are made from wood, metal, and other materials.Also called: coffin.
- Celebrant
- A trained, non-clergy officiant who creates and leads a personalized ceremony, often for families who are not part of a particular faith community.Also called: funeral celebrant, civil celebrant.
- Celebration of life
- A relaxed gathering that focuses on the person's personality, stories, and interests rather than on mourning alone. It can be held in a variety of settings and often includes music, food, and photos.Also called: life celebration, life tribute.
- Coffin
- A traditional term for a body container that is typically tapered at the head and foot. In everyday use in the United States, many people use the word casket for the same purpose.Also called: casket vs coffin, casket or coffin difference.
- Columbarium
- A building or structure with small compartments, called niches, designed to hold urns of cremated remains. Columbaria may be indoors or outdoors, often within a cemetery or place of worship.Also called: urn wall, cremation niche wall.
- Committal
- The brief final part of a service, usually at the graveside or crematory, when the person is entrusted to their resting place. It often includes a short prayer or words of farewell.Also called: graveside service, committal service.
- Cremains
- The remains left after cremation, made up mostly of processed bone fragments with a sand-like texture. They are commonly called ashes.Also called: ashes, cremated remains.
D
- Death certificate
- An official legal document that records a person's death, including the date, place, and cause. Certified copies are needed to settle accounts, claim benefits, and transfer property.Also called: certified death certificate, certificate of death.
- Direct cremation
- Cremation carried out shortly after a death without a viewing, visitation, or funeral service beforehand. Families often hold a gathering later, with or without the ashes present.Also called: simple cremation, no-service cremation, basic cremation.
E
- Embalming
- A process that temporarily preserves a person's body using chemicals, often done before a public viewing. It is generally not required by law, though rules and funeral home policies vary.Also called: body preservation.
- Eulogy
- A spoken or written tribute that honors the life of a person who has passed away. It is usually delivered by a family member, friend, or officiant at a service.Also called: tribute speech, funeral speech.
- Executor
- The person named in a will to manage an estate, pay debts, and distribute property according to the will. If there is no will, a court may appoint a personal representative.Also called: personal representative, estate administrator.
F
- Funeral director
- A licensed professional who helps families plan and carry out funeral, burial, or cremation arrangements and handles the related paperwork. Licensing requirements vary by state.Also called: mortician, undertaker, funeral service practitioner.
- Funeral Rule
- A federal regulation enforced by the Federal Trade Commission that gives consumers the right to clear prices and to choose only the funeral goods and services they want. It applies to funeral providers.Also called: FTC Funeral Rule.
G
- General Price List
- An itemized list of the goods and services a funeral home offers, with prices. Under the FTC Funeral Rule, a funeral home must give you a copy to keep when you start discussing arrangements in person.Also called: GPL, funeral price list.
- Grave liner
- A basic concrete cover or box placed in the grave to keep the ground from sinking over time. It is typically less costly than a full burial vault and often satisfies a cemetery's requirement.Also called: burial liner.
- Graveside service
- A ceremony held at the burial site, either alone or after a funeral elsewhere. It is usually shorter than a service held in a building.Also called: cemetery service, burial service.
- Green burial
- A burial approach that uses natural, biodegradable materials and avoids embalming chemicals and concrete vaults. It may take place in a dedicated natural burial ground.Also called: natural burial, eco-friendly burial, woodland burial.
- Grief counseling
- Professional support that helps people cope with the emotional effects of loss. It may be offered one on one, in groups, or for families.Also called: bereavement counseling, grief therapy.
H
- Hospice
- A type of care that focuses on comfort and support for a person with a serious illness who is near the end of life, as well as their family. Many hospices also offer bereavement support after a death.Also called: hospice care, end-of-life care.
I
- Immediate burial
- Burial that takes place soon after a death, without a viewing or ceremony beforehand. It is typically the burial counterpart of direct cremation and usually costs less than a full traditional funeral.Also called: direct burial.
- Interment
- The placing of a person's body or cremated remains in a grave, tomb, or other permanent resting place. The word covers both in-ground burial and entombment.Also called: burial, entombment.
- Inurnment
- The placing of an urn holding cremated remains in a niche, grave, or other permanent location. It is the cremation counterpart of interment.Also called: urn placement.
M
- Mausoleum
- A building that holds caskets or urns in above-ground spaces called crypts or niches. It may be a standalone structure or part of a cemetery.Also called: above-ground entombment, crypt.
- Medical examiner
- A physician who investigates deaths that are sudden, unexpected, or of unclear cause and may determine the cause of death. Some areas use an elected official called a coroner for this role.Also called: coroner, ME office.
- Memorial service
- A ceremony to honor and remember a person that may take place with or without the body present, and often after a cremation or burial. It can be held at any time and place.Also called: remembrance service, memorial gathering.
N
- Natural organic reduction
- A process in which a person's body is gently transformed into soil over several weeks. It is legal in a limited but growing number of states.Also called: human composting, terramation, recomposition.
- Next of kin
- The closest living relatives of a person, such as a spouse, adult children, parents, or siblings. State law often uses this order to decide who may make funeral decisions when no one else is named.Also called: closest relative, legal next of kin.
- Niche
- A small space, usually in a wall or building, that holds an urn of cremated remains. Niches are found in columbaria, mausoleums, and some cemeteries.Also called: urn niche, cremation niche.
O
- Obituary
- A published notice of a person's death that usually shares a short life story, family members, and service details. Newspapers and online sites may charge a fee to publish one.Also called: death notice, obit.
- Officiant
- The person who leads a funeral or memorial ceremony, such as a clergy member, celebrant, or trusted friend. Families may choose one who fits their beliefs and style.Also called: funeral officiant, ceremony leader.
P
- Pall
- A cloth that covers the casket during a service, used in some faith traditions as a symbol of equality and dignity. It may be plain or decorated.Also called: casket cover, funeral pall.
- Pallbearer
- A person who helps carry or accompany the casket at a funeral, usually chosen from family and friends as a mark of honor. Some families choose honorary pallbearers who do not carry the casket.Also called: casket bearer, honorary pallbearer.
- Perpetual care
- A fund a cemetery sets aside to maintain its grounds over time, covering tasks such as mowing and general upkeep. It usually does not cover repair of individual markers.Also called: endowment care, cemetery maintenance fund.
- Pre-need
- Funeral or cemetery arrangements planned, and sometimes paid for, in advance of a death. Pre-need contracts are regulated differently from state to state.Also called: pre-planning, prepaid funeral, advance funeral planning.
- Probate
- The court-supervised legal process of validating a will, paying debts, and distributing a person's property. Not every estate must go through it, and rules vary by state.Also called: estate administration, probate court.
S
- Shroud
- A simple cloth wrapping used to cover or enclose a person's body, common in some faith traditions and in green burial. It is often made from natural fibers.Also called: burial cloth, winding sheet.
U
- Urn
- A container that holds cremated remains. Urns come in many materials and sizes, including keepsake urns for sharing a small portion and biodegradable urns for burial or water.Also called: cremation urn, ashes container.
V
- Veterans burial benefits
- Benefits that may be available through the Department of Veterans Affairs for eligible veterans, such as burial in a national cemetery, a free headstone or marker, and a burial allowance in some cases.Also called: VA burial benefits, veteran funeral benefits, military funeral honors.
- Viewing
- An opportunity for family and friends to see the person's body, usually before a funeral. It may be public or private and the casket may be open.Also called: open casket, body viewing.
- Vigil
- A period of quiet watching, prayer, or remembrance held before a funeral, often the evening before. Some traditions keep a vigil in the home or place of worship.Also called: prayer vigil, night watch.
- Visitation
- A set time before the funeral when friends and family can greet the family and pay their respects, often at a funeral home. The casket may be open or closed.Also called: calling hours, reception before funeral.
W
- Wake
- A gathering before the funeral where family and friends come together to remember the person, sometimes with the body present. Customs differ across cultures and faiths.Also called: vigil gathering.
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