A-Z Glossary Of Funeral Terms

Ashes: The remains of a body after it has been cremated.

Ashes Casket: A container for holding the ashes of someone who has died.

Burial: The placing of the body of someone who has died in a grave, typically in a coffin or casket.

Burial Plot: An area, usually in a cemetery of churchyard of land used for burial.

Catafalque: A platform which a coffin or casket is placed on during a funeral service, usually at a crematorium.

Celebrant: A person who leads a funeral ceremony, normally a civil celebrant or a humanist.

Certificate for Burial or Cremation (Form 14): A certificate issued by the registrar after someone’s death has been registered. This form is required before a person can be buried or cremated.

Chapel of Rest: A private room in a funeral home where people can view and spend time with the body of their loved one.

Coffin: This holds the body of someone who has died, and used for cremation or burial, they can be made of different materials, such as wood, wicker or even banana leaf.

Committal: Usually at the end of a funeral service when the coffin or casket is buried, removed for cremation.

Cremation: A process that uses flame to turn the body of a person into ashes.

Cremated Remains: Another word for ashes.

Crematorium: A building where a body is cremated.

Death Certificate: An official certificate, issued by the Registry Office, which confirms a death has taken place.

Death Notice: A notice, typically found in a newspaper, that announces a person’s death. Online notices are becoming more popular.

Direct Cremation: A direct cremation (also known as an unattended funeral) is for those who would prefer a straightforward funeral. It’s different to a traditional funeral as there’s no funeral service and no one attends the cremation.

Embalming: The process of using special solutions to preserve a body by delaying the natural effects of death.

Eulogy: A speech delivered by someone taking a funeral service, this can be church minister, civil celebrant, humanist or a family member or close friend.

Exhumation: The removal of a body from its original burial ground.

First Offices: First offices is a process of caring for the deceased to assist with preservation and to make them presentable for viewing, this includes a minimum of cleaning and washing the body, dressing them, closing the eyes and mouth and arranging the hands.

Funeral: A ceremony that celebrates the life of someone who has died. It can be religious or non-religious, and is typically attended by close family and friends.

Funeral Director: A person who arranges a funeral for someone who has died. They typically prepare the body, deal with the burial offices/crematorium, complete paperwork, supply funeral transport, and more.

Funeral Support Payment: A one-off support payment for people who receive benefits and need help covering the cost of a funeral.

Funeral Plan: A policy which lets people pay for their funeral in advance so their relatives aren’t left with the cost, and the persons wishes are know to the family before they die.

Funeral Procession: A hearse carrying the coffin and close family of the deceased, driving at a slow speed to the venue of the funeral.

Grave Marker: An object placed on a grave, usually a plaque, to help family find the burial plot before a headstone is put in place.

Headstone: A permanent stone marker that identifies where someone has been buried.

Hearse: A vehicle designed to carry a coffin to a funeral venue.

Humanist Funeral: A non-religious funeral service that celebrates the life of the deceased.

Keepsake: A container or piece of jewellery designed to hold a small amount of ashes.

Memorial Service: A ceremony to celebrate the life of someone who has died. It differs from a funeral as the deceased’s body is not present.

Mortuary: The room which holds the bodies of people who have died and are cared for, before they are buried or cremated.

Obituary: A news article announcing a person’s death and giving a brief overview of their life.

Order of Service: A printed booklet giving an overview of the funeral service including words for any prayers, readings or hymns.

Pallbearer: A person who carries the coffin at a funeral, typically the funeral director team or can be family members or close friends.

Post-mortem: A medical examination of a body to find out the cause of death. This is carried out by a medical examiner.

Procurator Fiscal: A government official who is responsible for investigating any violent, sudden or suspicious deaths.

Registry Office: A local government office where deaths, births, marriages and civil partnerships are recorded. It’s also known as a register office.

Repatriation: The transporting the body of someone who has died aboard back to their home country for the funeral service.

Urn: A container that hold cremated ashes.

Viewing: Where a family and friends can spend time with the deceased prior to the funeral service, typically in a chapel of rest in a funeral directors.

Wake: Where the family and friends of the deceased gather for a funeral tea, usually after the funeral service, where they can reflect on the person who has died.