morgue

Where does the word "morgue" come from? It comes from Vulgar Latin murrum, passing through Old French and French before entering English (1821).

Morgue’s story begins in Vulgar Latin: murrum meant “muzzle, snout.” A word for a muzzle or snout, giving rise to a verb for making a face. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as morguer. 'to look solemnly', describing a stern facial expression. From there it passed into French as morgue by medieval. Shifted from an expression to the name of a Paris building where unidentified bodies were displayed for identification. It reached English by 1821 as morgue. Borrowed for a facility housing unclaimed dead bodies. Today, morgue means a place where dead bodies are kept before burial or identification.

1. Stage 1 · Vulgar Latin · medieval murrum "muzzle, snout", a word for a muzzle or snout, giving rise to a verb for making a face.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval morguer "to look solemn or haughty", 'to look solemnly', describing a stern facial expression.
3. Stage 3 · French · medieval morgue "a haughty look; a building for displaying bodies", shifted from an expression to the name of a Paris building where unidentified bodies were displayed for identification.
4. Stage 4 · English · 1821 morgue "a mortuary", borrowed for a facility housing unclaimed dead bodies.