Find definitions to all terms relating to funeral homes, cremation, and the entire death care industry.<\/p>\n
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Administrator<\/strong><\/td>\n| Court-appointed person placed in charge of the estate of a person who passed on without a will.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Algor Mortis<\/strong><\/td>\n | Cooling of the body immediately after death to room temperature and temporary stiffening of the muscles.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Alternative container<\/strong><\/td>\n | A container-typically heavy cardboard or chipbord-which does not meet the standards of a burial casket and is used to hold human remains for cremation.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Ambulance<\/strong><\/td>\n | Vehicle specifically constructed and equipped to transport injured, sick, or incapacitated persons.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Apportionment<\/strong><\/td>\n | Dividing cremated remains into portions for separate disposition. For example, a set of cremated remains could be divided into three portions, with one portion placed in an urn in a columbarium, another portion scattered in a favorite place, and yet another carried in a locket.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Apprentice<\/strong><\/td>\n | The name generally applied to an individual learning the embalming and funeral directing procedure under the supervision of a licensee.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Arrangement Conference<\/strong><\/td>\n | The meeting at the funeral home when funeral arrangements are made.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Arrangement Room<\/strong><\/td>\n | A funeral home room used to make funeral arrangements with the family of the deceased.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Ashes<\/strong><\/td>\n | See cremated remains.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Aspirate<\/strong><\/td>\n | To withdraw fluids and gases from the abdominal cavity.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Attorney in Fact<\/strong><\/td>\n | Any person granted the power of attorney.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | B<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Background Drapes<\/strong><\/td>\n | Decorative drapes arranged on a frame and placed behind the casket as a background. Typically made of velour.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Beneficiary<\/strong><\/td>\n | Recipient of the proceeds of a will or insurance policy.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Bequest<\/strong><\/td>\n | Any gift of property made in a will.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Bereaved<\/strong><\/td>\n | The immediate family of the deceased.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Burial<\/strong><\/td>\n | Placing of a dead body in an underground chamber.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Burial Case<\/strong><\/td>\n | See Casket.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Burial Certificate \/ Permit<\/strong><\/td>\n | Legal permission issued by the local government authorizing burial or cremation.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Burial Garments<\/strong><\/td>\n | Clothing made specificaly for the deceased.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Burial Insurance<\/strong><\/td>\n | An insurance policy in which the principal is paid in funeral service and merchandise rather than cash.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | C<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Canopy<\/strong><\/td>\n | A portable canvas shelter used to cover the grave area during a burial. Also called a tent.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Casket<\/strong><\/td>\n | A container-usually made of wood, metal, or fiberglass-designed for holding human remains. Also known as "coffin" or "burial case."<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Casket Coach<\/strong><\/td>\n | A motor coach designed and used for the conveyance of the casketed remains from the place the funeral service is conducted to the cemetery. Also known as a Funeral Coach.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Casket Rack<\/strong><\/td>\n | A device that allows caskets to be placed one on top of the other for display purposes.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Casket Veil<\/strong><\/td>\n | A silk net or transparent casket covering for the purpose of keeping flies and insects away from the remains.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Casketing<\/strong><\/td>\n | Placing of the body in the casket upon completion of embalming, dressing and cosmetizing.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Catafalque<\/strong><\/td>\n | The stand on which the casket rests while instate and during the funeral service.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Cemetery<\/strong><\/td>\n | An area of ground set aside for burial or entombment of the deceased.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Cenotaph<\/strong><\/td>\n | An empty tomb or monument erected in memory or a person buried elsewhere.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Certified Death Certificate<\/strong><\/td>\n | A legal copy of the original death certificate, issued by local authorities at the request of family members, for the purposes of substantiating claims for insurance etc.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Chapel<\/strong><\/td>\n | A large room in a funeral home where funeral services are held.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Church Truck<\/strong><\/td>\n | A collapsible catafalque used for funerals.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Clients<\/strong><\/td>\n | Those who employ the services of the funeral director.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Codicil<\/strong><\/td>\n | An amendment to a will changing the original provisions.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Coffin<\/strong><\/td>\n | Wedge-shaped burial case.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Columbarium<\/strong><\/td>\n | Structure or building designed for the housing of urns of cremated remains in recesses\/niches.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Committal service<\/strong><\/td>\n | The final part of a funeral service during which the remains are buried or entombed.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Contest<\/strong><\/td>\n | Any legal challenge to or question of the validity of a will.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Coroner<\/strong><\/td>\n | A public official and in some cases a constitutional officer whose duty it is to investigate the case of death if it appears to be from other than natural causes, or if there was no physician in attendance for a long time prior to death.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Cortege<\/strong><\/td>\n | The funeral procession.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Cosmetology<\/strong><\/td>\n | Utilization of cosmetics to restore a life-like appearance to the deceased.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Cot<\/strong><\/td>\n | A stretcher-like carrier used to remove deceased persons from the place of death to the funeral home.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Cremated Remains<\/strong><\/td>\n | Also called ashes. The portion of a body remaining after cremation.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Cremation<\/strong><\/td>\n | Reduction of the body to ashes by fire.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Cremation Permit<\/strong><\/td>\n | Certificate issued by local government authorizing cremation of the deceased.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Crematory<\/strong><\/td>\n | A building with a specifically-designed furnace for the purpose of cremating human remains.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Crypt<\/strong><\/td>\n | Vault or room used for keeping remains.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | D<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Death<\/strong><\/td>\n | Cessation of all vital functions without the capability of resuscitation.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Death Certificate<\/strong><\/td>\n | A legal document, signed by a coroner or other medical health professional certifying the death of an individual.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Death Notice<\/strong><\/td>\n | A paragraph in the relevant section of the newspaper informing people of a person’s death and giving those funeral details the survivors wish published.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Deceased<\/strong><\/td>\n | Person in whom all physical life has ceased.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Disenter<\/strong><\/td>\n | To remove the remains from the burial place.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Display Room<\/strong><\/td>\n | A room in a funeral home set aside for viewing available caskets, urns, grave liners, etc.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Disposition<\/strong><\/td>\n | Any manner in which remains will be finally taken care of, including ground burial, ash scattering of cremated remains, and all other forms of placement.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Door Badge<\/strong><\/td>\n | A floral arrangement placed on a door of a residence to announce that a death has occurred.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | E<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Embalmer<\/strong><\/td>\n | One who disinfects or preserves dead human bodies by the injection or application of preservatives and antiseptics.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Embalming<\/strong><\/td>\n | The process of preserving a dead body by means of circulating preservative and antiseptic through the veins and arteries.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Embalming Fluid<\/strong><\/td>\n | Liquid chemicals used in preserving a dead body.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Embalming Table<\/strong><\/td>\n | An operating table usually constructed of metal with a porcelain surface upon which remains are placed for embalming.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Entombment<\/strong><\/td>\n | Placing the body in a tomb.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Escheat<\/strong><\/td>\n | The case when the state takes over an estate due to no beneficiaries or heirs.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Estate Tax<\/strong><\/td>\n | Federal and state taxes applied to any property that is transferred at death.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Ethics<\/strong><\/td>\n | The moral code which guides the members of the profession in proper conduct of their duties and obligations.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Eulogy<\/strong><\/td>\n | A form of public speaking at funerals used to honor and praise the deceased.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Executor \/ Executrix<\/strong><\/td>\n | Person who administers an estate.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Exhume<\/strong><\/td>\n | To dig up human remains.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | F<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Family Car<\/strong><\/td>\n | Limousine used by immediate family in the funeral procession.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Family Room<\/strong><\/td>\n | A room in the funeral home where the family can have privacy at the time of the funeral.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Final Disposition<\/strong><\/td>\n | The last process the remains go through.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Final Rites<\/strong><\/td>\n | The funeral service.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | First Call<\/strong><\/td>\n | A funeral director’s first visit to a place of death.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Flower Car<\/strong><\/td>\n | Vehicle used to transport flowers from the funeral home to the church and\/or cemetery.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Flower Racks & Stands<\/strong><\/td>\n | Wooden or metal stands and racks of varying heights used for banking flowers around the casket.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Funeral Arrangements<\/strong><\/td>\n | Funeral director’s conference with the family for the purpose of completing financial and service details of a funeral.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Funeral Coach<\/strong><\/td>\n | Also casket coach or hearse. Motor vehicle designed to convey the casket from the funeral service to the place of burial in the cemetery.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Funeral Director<\/strong><\/td>\n | A trained and certified professional who arranges and supervises the burial or cremation of human remains. Also called mortician or undertaker. <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Funeral Home<\/strong><\/td>\n | A building used for the purpose of embalming, arranging and conducting funerals.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Funeral Insurance<\/strong><\/td>\n | Funeral insurance is an insurance policy designed to cover any costs directly related to your funeral.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Funeral Insurance<\/strong><\/td>\n | Also burial insurance. An insurance policy, normally written for a small amount, which provides money for a funeral upon the death of the person insured.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Funeral Procession<\/strong><\/td>\n | A procession, usually in motor vehicles, from the church or chapel to the cemetery.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Funeral Service<\/strong><\/td>\n | The rites conducted immediately before final disposition of the dead human body.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Funeral Spray<\/strong><\/td>\n | A large bouquet of cut flowers sent to the residence or the funeral home as a tribute to the deceased.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Funeral Trust<\/strong><\/td>\n | See prearranged funeral trust.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | G<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Grave<\/strong><\/td>\n | An excavation in the ground for the purpose of burying the deceased.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | |