Death Dictionary
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aanspreeckers- Those amongst the New Amsterdam Dutch in the American colonies who were hired to invite people to funerals.
accessory chemicals- Chemicals used along with regular embalming fluids such as preservatives, sealers, hardeners.
adipocere- Also known as grave wax. A chees-like, grayish substance that may result from a corpse left in cool moist soil or water.
advance directives- Documents such as DNR's and living wills.
airtray- Container used for shipping caskets or bodies by air.
Ala- Goddess of fertility and death to the Nigerian Ibo.
algor mortis- Cooling of the body aftet death.
Akh- The immortal that results from the reuniting of Ba and Ka with the mummy in Egyptain myth.
al-Aaraf- A bridge that a body passes over after being judged, according to the Koran. Infidels fall off the bridge into hell, while the faithful move on to bliss.
On The realm of death to the Toda people of Southern India, ruled by their creator god On.
anatomical gifts -Organ donations.
Andromeda- A sacrificed on a hill by her father but rescued by Perseus, according to Greek myth.
Anerneq-The spirit or soul that in Artic and Alaskan belief departs the body for the underworld following death.
antemortem- Before death.
apoptosis- The death of cells as a function of their intrinsic mechanisms.
aron- Wooden casket with wooden pegs used by Jews.
arrangement conference- Initial meeting between funeral director and customer.
arterial preservative- Chemical used by embalmers to replace blood.
Artume- Etruscan goddess of death but also of growth.
ashes- Burned remains from cremation.
Asin- A thief of children in Pacific Northwest belief whose laughter portends death like the scream of Cyhiraeth.
Asto Vidatu- Persian demon of death who chases souls with a noose to keep them from getting heaven.
Aunga- The good part of a man which dies with him, leaving behind the bad, the adaro, as a ghost.
Auraka- Meaning "all-devouring," the god of death in the myth of Polynesia.
autolysis- The breakdown of the corpse by the body's digestive enzymes.
autopsy- From the Greek for to see for one's self, it is a medical procedure conducted following a death to determine it's cause through examination of the various body parts. Also called a necropsy.
Azrael- Muslim angel of death.
Ba- A person's ability to move around and character, pictured as bird, that was part of a person's soul in Egyptian myth.
bar minen- Jewish term for dead person.
barrow- Mound of stones or dirt on top of grave.
"belly punchers"- Derogatory term for those who use trocars to inject emblaming fluids into cavities from others in the industry.
bequeath- To give via a will, to pass on.
bereave- To leave alone, as by death. Also to take by force.
bi-unit pricing- The now illegal in the US process of charging a separate price for casket and funeral services.
bier- Stand for corpse prior to burial and for transportation to the grave. Called a coffin in Scotalnd.
black- The traditional color of mourning, though in some countries the color is white.
black death- The bubonic plague, responsible for widespread death in 14th century Europe.
bleaching agent- Chemical used to lighten skin before cosmetics are applied to remove blemishes on corpse.
body- Euphemism for corpse.
bog bodies- Bodies that are naturally mummified in peat bogs.
brain death- A condition that results when the brain ceases to be conscious and the body operates only as a result of mechanical assistance. There are no brainwaves, movements, or responses to stimuli.
Bulu- Land of dead in Fijian belief system.
burial- To place in the ground, sea, tomb. To hide.
burial chest- Antiquated term for a casket.
burial chamber- A repository for corpses.
burial mound- A mound resulting from dirt piled upon a corpse.
Ancient burial mounds are visible in the distance from Stone Henge
burial-transport permit- Document allowing burial or cremation and transport of body.
burial vault- These are more expensive versions of grave liners, made of copper or steel instead of concrete. They are used to keep the grave from subsiding. They also allow additional (vertical) storage space.
cadaver- Corpse.
cadaver carrier- Tool used to move corpses to morgue from hospitals.
cairn- A mound of stones serving as memorial or marker.
calcination- Cremation from heat rather than flames.
call- Industry term for funeral.
cannibalism- Eating one's own species. Also called necrophagia.
cannula- Tool for injecting embalming fluid in arteries.
canopic jars- Containers for organs or ashes.
capillary flush- Rosy cheeks resulting from embalming.
capital punishment- The use of execution as the consequence of a crime.
case- Industry term for funeral.
casket- A rectangular coffin. Also a small case for jewels or valuables and a verb for enclosing.
catacomb- An underground cemetery, with chambers or tunnels having places for graves.
catafalque- Also known as a casket standard. Structure on which corpse is carried.
cavity embalming-The use of cavity fluid to replace internal fluids in the abdoment.
cemetery- A final resting place for corpses, a graveyard.
cenotaph- From Greek for empty tomb. A monument in honor of a dead person who is buried somewhere else.
Cenotaphs are especially prominent in the Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey in England.
Cereberus- The three headed dog who guarded the gates to Hades.
cerecloth-Fabric used to cover corpse soaked in adhesive to hold it close.
certificate of disposition- Document issued permitting burial or cremation.
Chamer- God of death in Mayan belief, especially in east Guatemala. See also ixtab.
Charles Manson- Famed murderer and cult leader.
charnel (house)- A place for storing bones or corpses.
Charon- The boatman who took souls across the river Styx in Greek myth.
Charontes- Etruscan demons of death, related to Charun, the demon who torments dead souls in the underworld.
cherrah kaddisha- Holy Brotherhood in Judaism dedicated to funerals and burial.
Chicomemictlan- The eternal house of the dead, according to the Aztecs.
chin rest- Tool for keep mouth of corpse closed.
Christian Burial Permit- Document from church stating a person is eligible for rites.
Christian Prayer Service- Prayers said in lieu of rosary by Roman Catholic Church at wake.
cinerarium- Place for storing ashes, kept in cinerary jars.
Cizin- God of death in Yucatec Mayan belief who burns souls in the Metnal, the underworld.
coffin- The box in which bodies are laid to rest. Also the part of a horse hoof.
columbarium- A vault with niches for urns containing the ashes of those who have been cremated, or one of the niches themselves. Also a raised structure with compartments for domesticated pigeons.
committal chamber- Entrace to crematorium.
concurrent drainage -Removing blood while at the same time adding embalming fluid.
coroner -The public official who mainly investigates any suspicious deaths.
corpse -A dead body. (from the same body root that led to words like midriff, corporal, corporate)
corpsicle -Tactless term for cryonically preserved body.
cortege- Funeral procession.
cosmetic fluid- Embalming fluid with d
cranial embalming -Embalming the inside of the skull via the nose.
cremation chamber- Actual room where cremation to take place.
cremation society- A memorial or burial group focusing on cremations.
cremation- Burning a corpse into ashes.
crematorium- A place for the incineration of corpses. Also called pathalogical incinerators.
cryogenics- Also call cryogeny. The study of low temperatures and their production - now being applied to cryoincs, the goal of preserving humans through cryonic suspension or cryonic statis until a time when they can be resuscitated. Such reanimates are called cryonauts in some science fiction.
crypt- An underground vault used as for burial, especially under a church. Also a small pit or glandular cavity in the body.
Hau- Yet another Mayan death god.
Cur- Force which brings fear, sadness and death in Tamil belief.
Cyhiraeth- Celtic goddess of streams who's scream foretold death.
Dahaka -Persian god of death and deceit.
danse macabre -Also known as Totentanz (Germany), danza de la muerte (Spain), Makkabeusdans (Netherlands). Similar to memento mori, it was art that showed the levelling power of death.
Day of the Dead- A holiday celebrating the dead in Mexico.
dead- No longer living.
deanimate- Die. Counteracted by post-cryonic reanimation.
descansos- Roadside crosses, as those erected when there is a car accident.
death -The cessation of life. What exactly that is is subject to debate.
death angel -A poisonous white mushroom, also called death cup.
death benefit- Money paid by life insurance.
death camas -Grasslike plant poisonous to livestock.
death care industry -Name used by the funeral industry for itself.
death certificate -A document proclaiming the death of an individual and the conditions of the departure.
death cults- Groups venerating the dead in their mythology, a sort of necrolatry where they believe they gain powers from or must appease those who have passed on.
death duty -Tax on inherited property, called also inheritance tax, estate tax or death tax.
death instinct -An impulse suggested by Freud that opposes that towards life - an inclination to destruction and decay, also called Thanatos. Similar to a death wish.
death knell -Something announcing death, as of the church bells of yore.
death mask- Cast made of face after death, used in ancient Rome by actors to play the dead and by Europeans to adorn the buried corpse. Madame Tussaud of Wax Museum fame started out making death masks of those killed by the guillotine during the French Revolution.
death notice -Paid announcement of death.
death penalty- Another name for capital punishment, punishment of death for a crime.
death point- Level of an environmental factor beyond which a species can no longer survive.
death qualify -A legal term for excusing those opposed to the death penalty from serving on a jury.
death rate- Number of deaths in a population over a period of time, usually per thousand per year. Also called a fatality rate.
death rattle- Noise made by dying person as breath passes through mucus when the cough reflex is lost.
death row -The place where condemned criminals await their execution. Also called death house.
death seat -The seat opposite the driver of a car because it is the most dangerous. An Australian term - in the United States the seat is called shotgun - a reference to stagecoach days.
death toll -The cost in lives of a given event, from disease outbreak to military campaign.
Death Valley -The point of lowest elevation in the Western Hemishere - located in northern California.
death warrant -Document authorizing execution. Also a destructive incident - deathblow.
death's head- The human skull, a symbol of death.
decapitate -Remove the head of. Behead.
decedent- Dead person.
decomposition -The breakdown of the body after death.
defenestrate -To throw out a window.
Demeter and Persephone -Persephone was carried to the underworld by Hades in Greek Myth, and though Demeter was able to get her out, Persephone's having eaten pomegranate bound her to return, thus leading to the seasons.
deceased -Dead. Other synonyms suggest a journey or departure (passed away, passed on, no longer with us).
dental tie -A way of keeping the mouth on a corpse closed.
dewar -Chamber for storing cryogenically-preserved bodies.
die -Stop living.
direct burial -Burial without viewing or embalming, also called immediate burial.
dirge- Mournful musical composition, poem, or other work.
Dis- Another name for Hades.
disembowel -To remove the entrails from. Also remove meaning.
Divine Comedy -A monumental epic written by fourteenth century Italian poet Dante Aligheieri. The work had three sections, Paradisio, Purgatorio and Inferno, the last of which was classified into nine levels and served as a social commentary.
DNR -An order to not resuscitate in the event of failure of breathing or heart. CPR will not be initiated.
doedkammers -Parlors built by the Pennsylvania Dutch in the American colonies to have funerals, with doors large enough to accomodate the pallbearers.
dog soldiers- Warrior among Indians in the American Plains who drove their lances (to which they were attached by rope) into the ground, determined to defend the pice of land they could reach to the death.
Donner Party -Group trapped in the Sierra Nevada headed west in the winter of 1846. They resorted to cannibalism.
Dou-mu -Goddess who records all lives and deaths in Chinese belief.
draw and quarter -Execute by tying the four limbs of a person to horses and having them run in opposite directions, or mutilating a corpse after hanging.
Duat Name for the underworld in Egyptian mythology.
durable power of attorney for health care -Document allowing others to make health care decisions when one is not able to. Also called health care power of attorney or health care directive
Egyptian Book of the Dead -A set of 200 spells, written on papyrus by 1400 BC, that were prayers from the dead person for help on the trip to the next world.
electric chair- First used in 1890 in New York, it took eight minutes to kill a person via electricity. Benjamin Franklin experimented with the process earlier to see how much electricitiy it took to kill a monkey.
elegy -Poem mourning someone or something that has been lost.
Elysian Fields- The ancient Greek version of heaven, full of grass and sunlight. The French translation, "Champs Élysées," became the name for the largest boulevard in Paris.
embalm -To preserve to prevent decay, to protect, to perfume.
embalmer -Person who embalms corpses.
embalmer's gray -The gray that poor positioning causes from blood moving into the head in a corpse.
embalming powder -Dry substance used to preserve surface.
embalmment -An old method of preservation involving replacement of organs with chemicals and dehydration.
en bloc -Latin for in a group. A way to remove a whole group of organs during an autopsy so that their relative positions can be preserved.
en situ -Latin for in location. A way to look at organs still in the body during autopsy.
entomb -To place in or serve as a tomb or grave.
epitaph- An inscription on a tombstone or a short literary piece to remember a deceased person.
Ereshkigal -Sumerian and Babylonian death goddess.
eschatology -Branch of theology dealing with the end of man or the world. Belief concerning final things.
eulogy -A speech of praise, usually given after someone has died.
euthanasia- From the Greek for good death, it is the mercy killing of someone with terminal or incurable disease, a coup de grace.
excarnation -The use of animals to dispose of human remains or to strip off flesh.
exhume- To remove from a grave (disinter). Or to expose. The fist burial is called a primary burial, and the second is called secondary and in some cases may involve additional ritual.
fatal- Causing death. Deadly. Lethal.
fatality -Death.
Field of Reeds -The Egyptian vision of the afterlife, a place requiring agricultural work, aided by ushabtis, figurines in the form of workers.
firing squad -A method of execution where a person is faced with an array of people with guns who all shoot at once, utilized especially by militaries.
floaters -Corpses in water that have developed sufficient gas in them to rise to the surface.
flower death- The good death wished for by Aztecs in fighting.
forensic pathologist- Pathologist who produces medical information for the legal profession. Something combining both professions is called medicolegal.
formaldehyde gray -Gray color resulting from the preservative formaldehyde's interaction with blood's hemoglobin. Formaldehyde is present in embalming fluid.
formalin -Tissue preservative used by pathologists, containing formaldehyde and water.
fratricide -The killing of one's brother.
functional pricing -Itemizing the bill for a funeral. Also called multi-unit pricing (as opposed to single-unit or tri-unit). Required by the U.S. Federal Trade Comission.
funeral -Ceremony or procession held in conjunction with burial. Also an end, a eulogy, a sermon, a source of concern, or resembling a funeral.
funeral chapel -A place for having funerals.
funeral director -Person responsible for burial or cremation and often the embalming, as well as aiding in the funeral ceremony.
funeral home -A place for dealing with dead bodies, viewing and funeral services.
funeral lighting -Illumination of body in caskey.
funeral procession -A parade with a corpse following a fuenral.
Gallu -Akkadian demons of death.
Gamab -The god of life and death to the Haukoin people in southern Africa.
gas chamber -A method of execution where lethal gas is pumped into a chamber containing victims. When first used in response to the inadequacy of the electric chair in the United Staes, deaths took anywhere from 2 to 11 minutes. A mass form of this utilized Zyklon B during the Holocaust in purported showers.
Gehinnom -The Jewish version of hell, metaphysical in nature, a remoteness from God. Derived from Ben Hinnom, the name for a valley where children were burned in fire to worship Moloch.
genocide -Systematic extermination of nation, race, or political or ethnic group.
ghost -The spirit of a dead person returning.
Ghusl -Washing of the body in preparation for burial in Muslim religion.
gibbet- A cage for corpses of criminals to be displayed until they rotted, as well as a gallows.
Giltine- Lithuanian death goddess who strangles or chokes the sick.
gNyan -Bringers of death and destruction in Tibetan Bon.
grave- A place of burial, especially the excavation itself. Also death itself, to stamp, to clean and coat with tar, an adjective meaning serious, slow, somber.
grave liner -See burial vault.
grave marker -Something placed in remembrance of the dead at the grave.
grave robber -Those who rob graves, either for the corpses to sell to science or for the goods a person may be buried with, as was the case with the Egyptian pyramids.
gravestone -A stone placed on a grave to mark it, often bearing an inscription listing years of birth and death, name, and perhaps an epitaph.
grief -From the same root as grave, aggravate, baritone. Mental anguish, annoyance, regret, trouble, grievance.
grief counselor- A newly created position to help people through their pain following a death.
grief therapist -Industry term for a mortician.
Grim- Reaper image reproduced with permission of Duncan Long.
Grim Reaper -A mythological figure representing death, a skeleton carrying a scythe with which he harvests lives.
guillotine- An implement of decapitation where a blade is raised on a series of tracks and then allowed to fall on a person's neck. Also a device for cutting paper or to cut with such a tool.
Guinee -In voodoo, the place where the souls of the dead go. Also the abode of the gods.
Hades -The god of the underworld, as well as the name of the underworld and hell, in Greek and Roman mythology.
Hafaza -Guardian angels who protect deceased souls against satans after death.
hanging- A method of execution where a hangman's noose is put around a persons neck and the person is raised from the ground, either via suspension from a tree or a drop away floor on a gibbet or gallows. To string up.
hara-kiri -Ritual suicide under Bushido, the Japanese samurai code, that involves disembowelment of one's self. The abdomen was cut horizontally, a vertical thrust was made, and a friend provided decapitation.
hardening compound -Stuff used to make tissues solid in a corpse by embalmers.
Haurvatat- Hindu deity associated with perfection and life after death.
head freeze -Putting strong embalming fluid at high pressure into the head and neck to preserve without swelling. Also called instant tissue fixation.
head rest -Device used to keep head in place when embalming.
headstone -A stone set at the head of a grave. Also the central wedge part of an arch in architecture that holds it together.
hearse -A vehicle for the transportation of corpses from funeral to burial.
heart tap -Putting embalming fluid right into the heart via injection.
heaven -The place of residence for God, the angels, and admitted souls, a land of happiness. Also the sky, a state of bliss, God.
Heaven's Gate -American cultists who committed suicide in 1997 on the belief that they would join a comet, under the leadership of Bo. Hel Half-woman, half-corpse, a Northern death goddess.
Artwork created by Robin M. Weare, 1996. May be copied and distributed freely, but not sold, with acknowledgement of source and artist.
hell -A place for condemned souls, devils, Satan. Also separation from God, an abode for the dead, the underworld, a place of evil, sin, dark powers, scolding, mischeviousness, receptacle, intensive, gambling house.
hemlock- A poisonous plant that philosopher Socrates took when forced to commit suicide by officials opposed to his iconoclasm. It provided the name for the Hemlock Society, whose book Final Exit stirred up controversy by evaluating various methods of suicide.
hermetically sealed- Almost completely airtight - with caskets it prevents the release of smells.
hesped -Eulogy delivered by rabbi for the dead in Judaism.
Hisa-Me -Demonesses of death in Japanese underworld.
Holler -Norse god of death and destruction.
Holocaust- Destruction by fire, burnt sacrificial offering, massive slaughter, and, when capitalized, the genocide conducted by Hitler's Nazis primarily against Jews during WWII.
homicide -The killing of a person by another person, or the person who does so.
hospice- A program that provides spiritual, social and financial care for the terminally ill. Also a refuge, often maintained by a monastic order.
Huang-chuan -The place that passive, femine souls went to in the afterlife of a Chinese belief.
humectant -Chemical used to counter dehydration in corpses.
hypodermic embalming -Injecting embalming fluids into various body parts.
Hyperboreans -Creatures of Greek myth who lived to be a thousand.
hypostasis -Also called livor mortis, this is the movement of blood to the lower parts of the body, where it is need most.
immortal- Not dying, not forgotten. Relating to immortality, indefinitely growing.
immurement -To entomb in walls.
inferno -A place resembling hell in heat, death or suffering.
inherit- To receive from others, as from a will.
inhumation- Burial.
interment- Burial.
intermittent tissue drainage -Only draining fluid occasionally during embalming so that pressure causes movement to smaller vessels.
inurnment -Putting ashes into an urn.
itai -A person's remains, which is different from teh corpse of a person and has hopes and wants.
Ixtab -The god who brought those who committed suicide, were hung, were slain in battle, were sacrificed, were priests or died during childbirth to paradise in Mayan belief.
Janazah -Prayers said for the dead in Muslim religion.
Jeffrey Dahmer -Necrophiliac, cannibal, Jeffrey was both. He killed 17 males, doing all sorts of disturbing things with the corpses.
John Wayne Gacy -Serial killer responsible for 33 deaths after sexual abuse, luring young men with the offer of employment. Killed by lethal injection in 1992.
johnnycakes -Journey cakes made in Jamaican voodoo burial ritual to provide food for the deceased.
Ka -The vital energy in life, which required food and drink after death, according to Egyptian myth.
Kaddish- Jewish prayer for the dead.
Kafan -Wrapping of the corpse in Muslim religion.
Kaka-Guie -The spirit who guides souls to the afterlife to the Baule Negroes of the Ivory Coast.
kamikaze -From Japanese divine wind, used to refer to an 1821 typhoon that destroyed a Mongol fleet. Name for WWII pilots who crashed their planes into targets in suicide runs. Now a general term for suicidal recklessness.
karma -A term from Hinduism and Bhuddism for the idea that what goes around comes around. This suggest fate not only within one's life but also in one's reincarnation.
Keres -Female spirits of death and doom later thought to be the avenging dead.
kever -Term for the grave in Judaism.
kneeler- A stool to kneel on. One may be placed next to a casket.
Korware -Stone or wooden statuettes of the deceased made to house the spirit in Melanesian culture.
k'vura -Jewish burial ceremony.
last offices- British term for the services provided by a nurse for a corpse, such as washing it and covering it.
last rites -Christian sacrament or ritual performed for a dying person. Also called the rite of committal.
Lazarus -A Biblical figure purportedly returned from the dead after four days by Jesus Christ.
legacy -Something handed down, bequeathed.
lethal injection- A method of execution used in capital punishment first utilized in Texas in 1976. Chemicals injected via IV dull the senses, relax muscles to stop breathing and then cause the heart to stop. It is the most popular method today.
levaya -Funeral procession in Judaism.
lex talionis -A fancy word for the eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth principle, used to justify capital punishment.
life insurance -A policy maintained by regular payments that provides compensation to survivors in the event of death.
lie in state- To put a prominent corpse on review for the public.
Liturgy of the Word -Part of the Requiem Mass where the dead person's life is recounted.
living will- A will that asks to not be kept alive by life support.
livor mortis -See hypostasis.
Lizzie Borden- In the 1890's, Borden was charged with killing her father and stepmother in Massachusetts. She was found not guilty, but the crime was not solved.
lynch -To execute without trial, especially hang.
Ma Puch- Chief Mayan death god.
martyr- One who dies for a cause.
Mass of Angels -Catholic funeral service for children.
Mass of the Resurrection -Catholic rite for burial, once known as the Requiem Mass.
mausoleum Large- elaborate tomb or the building holding these types of tombs. Also a gloomy building. From Persian satrap.
Mbomba -Master of life and death to the Mongo people of Zaire.
medical examiner- A forensic pathologist working for the government who looks into unexplained deaths.
memento mori- Latin for "remember thy death." A movement in the 1000's to remind people that they must be pious to allow for a good afterlife.
memorial -Something intended to remember a person or event. Also a statement of facts presented to rulers or something related to memory.
Memorial for the soldiers killed in the D-Day invasion of WWII.
memorial home -See funeral home.
memorial niche -Place where urn stays.
memorial service -Life a funeral, except not in the presence of the body.
memorial society -Group providing inexpensive funerals.
memory picture -The way the body is presented following embalming.
Merau -A goddess of death and the afterlife in Polynesian belief.
Methusaleh -The oldest figure in the Bible,who lived to 969. The scond oldest is Jarad, who lived to 962.
Miclantecutli- Place where body waits for four years after travelling the Underworld Way in Aztec myth.
Miru -God of death to the Maori who lives in Avaki, burning and devouring men's souls after giving them kava.
Month's Mind Mass- Catholic rite one month after funeral litrugy. Can also be an annual anniversary Mass. See also All Souls' Day
monument -From the same root as mind, monster, money, mosaic (to think). A building or sculpture of memorial. Also a tombstone, something of historical significance, outstanding achievement, written document, marker of boundary.
morbid -Of or relating to disease, unwholesome, gruesome, bloody, gory.
Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report- Flagship publication of the Centers for Disease Control detailing information about recent deaths.
morgue -A place to store bodies until identification or funeral. Also a reference file in periodical office.
moribund -Approaching death. Also on the verge of obsolesence.
morose -Melancholy.
Mors -Death personified in Roman belief, translated from Thanatos.
Morta -Roman goddess of death who is one of a set of gods similar to the Greek fates called the Parcae.
mortal -Subject to death. Also human, related to or causing death, intense.
mortality -Being mortal. Also death, death rate.
mortcloth- Resuable cloth, especially in Scotland, to cover body or coffin.
mortician -Synonym for funeral director.
mortuary -A place to store corpses before burial, from mortuarie, a Middle English word for a gift from the deceased's estate to the parish priest, from Latin mortuarium, a receptacle for dead things, from word for to die.
Mot -From the primal beliefs that led to Judaism, the god of death and sterility opposed to Baal, a god of life.
multiple cremations -Cremating serveral bodies at once.
multiple-site injection -Embalming performed at various sites concurrently.
mummy- A body that has been emblamed so as to be preserved. From mummie, a medicine from embalmed corpses, from Arabic word for wax.
muscular suture -Keeping a corpse's mouth closed by tying the lower lip to the inner nose.
Muut -The messenger of death in the Cahuilla Native American belief.
necrobiosis -Decay or death.
necrogenic -Resulting from corpses.
necrogeneous -Growing on dead tissue.
necrolatry -Worshipping corpses.
necromancy -Communicating with the dead to predict the future, black magic, as carried out by a necromancer.
necrophagous -Feeding on corpses.
necrophilia -Obsession with death. Erotic attraction to corpses.
necrophilous- Fungi or beetle (as the family Necrophagaus of Clavicron beetles) that feeds on the dead.
necrophobia -Excessive fear of death or corpses.
necropolis- A cemetery, especially a large, extensive one in an ancient city or a city of the dead.
necrosis -Tissue death.
negative and zero population growth -The cessation of growth in population or even a decrease as a result of the reduction of birth rate below death rate. This is created artificially in China, and others campaign for it happen elsewhere.
neomort- Brain dead bodies kept alive by machine.
neurosuspension -Cryonic preservation of brains, usually still in the head. As opposed to whole-body suspension.
Nga -The god of death to the Yurak people of Siberia.
nine night- A festival held in the Jamaican voodoo practices at the time of a loved one's death.
nirvana -The state of perfection that ends the cycle of rebirth in Buddhism.
Nirrti -Goddess of death and destruction in India.
obituary -Announcement of death in news.
organ and tissue donation- An option for the parts of a corpse. An organ bank will coordinate the placement of organ or tissue donor's body parts with suitable recipients. The United Network for Organ Sharing coordinates such efforts in the United States.
Orpheus -A Greek mythological character whose wife was taken to Hades. He used his music to lull all those who would keep him from rescuing her (inspiring the musical composition Orpheus in the Underworld), but he violated a command not to look back (a parallel with the Biblical story of Sodom and Gomorrah) and thus lost her.
Osiris -Egyptian god of the underworld as well as fertility.
ossuary- A container for the remains of the dead.
overlap- A way to keep a corpse's eyes closed by puttin the top lid over the bottom one.
pall -Covering on casket during funeral or the coffin itself (i.e. pall bearers). Also something that obscures or dulls.
palliate -Relieving, especially the symtoms of disease.
pandemic- A widespread epidemic. Also widespread, an epidemic disease. Prominent epidemics past and future include the plague, influenza, and HIV/AIDS.
parabiosis -Extension of lives through the infusion of young blood.
paradise -Eden, a place for good souls after death, beauty, delight.
paschal candle -Candle put between casket and altar during Catholic funeral Mass.
past lives -Existences one has had prior to the present one, according to the doctrine of reincarnation.
pathologist -Study of disease, the manifestation of disease, departure from normality.
patricide -The killing of one's father.
perpetual care -Gurantee of eternal cemetery upkeep.
pet cemeter -A place for the burial of dead pets.
plagium -Body-snatching.
plastination -A way to preserve dissected specimens after death.
Pluto -Roman name for Hades.
posthumous -After death.
postmortem- After death.
postmortem stain -Discoloration from blood color seeping into skin.
Potter's Field -A place for the burial of indigents, a biblical allusion. To the Khmer of Cambodia, the god of death who also provides life.
preetam -An Indian ghost.
preneed -Retaining funerary services prior to death.
preparation room- Embalming room.
presumed consent -Ability to remove parts for transplant if there is no specific objection.
Prometheus -The being purported to have given humans fire, condmened to be chained to a rock and have his entrails pecked out (only to have them regenerate the next day).
prospect- Industry term for possible customer for funeral services.
pulverization -Grinding of bone fragments after cremation, also called processing.
purgatory -A place where good souls may wait to make up for sins. Also a tending to purge, a place of remorse.
putrefaction -Destruction of corpse by own bacteria.
pyre -A pile of things to burn a corpse on.
rabbit paw -Can be used to apply rogue to dead.
regicide- The killing of a king. (Greek tragic figure Oedipus Rex committed both regicide and patricide.)
relics- An object kept for religious reasons, especially a body part of personal effect of a saint. Also something preserved from the past, a corpse.
reliquary -A container for holding relics.
remains -Body parts left following death.
requiem -A musical composition for the All Saint's Day mass.
Resef -Ugaritic and Phonecian god who spread death.
restorative art -Industry term for embalmers and other cosmeticians who make body look restored.
resuscitate- Bring back to life.
rigor mortis -The stiffening of the body that sets in after a corpse has been dead for a while.
sacrifice -Offering something to a deity to gain good favor, especially a slaughtered human or animal, the thing given, or the act of doing so. Also something traded for something else.
Salat -Prayers said on a person's death in Muslim religion.
Samulayo -God of death in battle and war in belief system of Fiji.
sarcophagus -A stone coffin, often decorated.
séance -A meeting to receive spiritual messages, as from a deceased spirit.
seppuku -See hara-kiri.
sepulcher -A burial vault, a place to store relics in an altar, to place in such a location.
sepulture -Burial or a sepulcher.
shell embalming -Preserving over the outer shell.
shitai -Japanese term for corpse.
Shiva -The god of destruction to Hindus, one of their three great gods.
shomrim -Those who remain with body from casket to burial in Judaism.
shroud -Cloth used to wrap body when buried. Also to wrap, to shut off, to (find) shelter, a screen, and ropes used to support a mast or smokestack.
sin eaters -Those who in ancient times in England, Ireland, Wales and India were given the task of eating ritual foods to help the dead out of purgatory, perhaps to the detriment of their own souls.
Sisyphus, Tantalus and Ixion -People condemned for eternity in Greek myth. Sisphyus had to roll a boulder up a hill, only to have it return to the bottom and start over. Ixion had to keep turning a wheel. And Tantalus could not reach the water or grapes that he craved.
skull cap- Part of the skull removed to allow access to the brain.
slip coffins -Coffins with floors that can come off, leaving the body behind, so that they can be used again.
soul -Similar to the spirit.
spirit -What gives life to something, essence.
stele -A commemorative stone inscribed or sculpture as a monument or in the face of a building. Also the central vascular tissue in a plant.
Saint Peter- Person purportedly in charge of the "pearly gates" to heaven in Christian religion.
Styx- A river that must be crossed via boat in Greek mythology to the world of the dead.
suicide -The killing of one's self.
suicide bomber- A contemporary kamikaze - usually a terrorist who gives up his life to deliver an incendiary device to wreak chaos.
Supay -Evil spirits, underworld lord and god of death of some Peruvian Incas. Now a term for the devil.
surface burial -Native American burial method under logs or rocks. Other methods included inuhumation, aquatic burial, sepulcher burial, cremation and aerial burial (placement in canoes or trees).
survival of the fittest- The principle established by Darwin as to how species become adapted to their environment and evolve in a certain way. He suggests that certain traits increased ones reproductive fitness, while other might even lead to death prior to reproduction.
suttee -The act of a woman placing herself on her husband's pyre, or the women who commits such an act. Made illegal by Britain in 1829.
tachrichim -White linen shroud for Jewish burial.
taharah- The final bathing of the body in Judaism.
Ted Bundy -A serial killer, responsible for the deaths of 30 females in the late 1970's. Electrocuted in Florida on January 24, 1989.
thanatology -The study of social and psychological aspects of death and dying, as practiced by thanatologists.
thanatomimesis - Pretending to be dead.
Thanatos- Greek personification of death in the underworld.
Thayè- Sprits of those who die violently in Burmese folklore who attack human kind.
throat cutter -Term for arterial embalmers from those who use other methods because the neck had to be cut to expose vessels.
Tibetan Book of the Dead- A book from Tibet (a region in southwestern China) expressing the belief that people must confront their fear of death directly. Also called the Bardo Thodöl - meaning liberation through hearing on the after-death plane.
Tiermes -God of life and death in Lapp myth.
tod-pa- Tibetan cups made from skulls.
Todote- The Siberian Samoyed deity of death and evil.
tomb- From the same toot as thigh, thousand, tumor (to swell). A grave, a burial vault, or a monument.
Picture of Pantheon in Paris, Victor Hugo's burial place.
tombstone -See gravestone. Also an American pizza brand (prompting the ad campaign, "what do you want on your tombstone?") Also a city in southwest Arizona.
toning compound- A dark color that is mixed with a brighter fundamental color gives a corpse a lifelike appearance.
trisagion -Three prayers said before a funeral in the Eastern Orthodox church.
trocar -Long-needled instrument inserted in the body along imaginary trocar guides for removing body fluids and replacing with embalming fluid. The hole is closed with a plastic screw called a trocar button.
tumulus -Burial mound or barrow.
undertaker- See funeral director. Also one who takes on a task.
unveiling -Prayer service for consecrating tombstone in Judaism.
urn- Container for ashes of a person who has been cremated.
Urshanabi -Boatman who goes across the rivers of death.
Vanth -Etruscan demoness of death who heralds death but can also heal. She resides in the underworld.
Vichama -Incan god of death.
viewing- American Christian custom where the corpse is seen and family visits.
vidui -The confession recommended to those dying in Judaism.
Vucub Caquix- Mayan demon of the underworld.
wake -Watch over a dead person before they are buried, sometimes festive. Also a watch, a festival in honor of a patron saint, an annual vacation, to make aware of, to rouse, to watch, to stop sleeping. Also known as a vigil.
Wanagi- Ghost in Native American Plains blief.
Watavinewa -God of life and death to the Yaghan Native Americans.
Were- God of the Luo of Kenya who controls life and death.
will- A legal document directing the dispersion of possessions after death. Also to choose, to order, the ability to choose, purposefulness.
winding sheet -A sheet to hold body before funeral, tied at both ends, sometimes exposing head.
Yama- Hindu god of death.
Yami- Tibetan goddess of death. A body without a soul in voodoo belief.
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