mortuary

Where does the word "mortuary" come from? It comes from Latin mortuus, passing through Medieval Latin before entering English (1400s).

Mortuary’s story begins in Latin: mortuus meant “dead.” Dead, past participle of mori (to die). By medieval, the word had taken hold in Medieval Latin as mortuarium. Formed for a place associated with the dead. It reached English by 1400s as mortuary. Settled as the English word for a place where dead bodies are kept. Today, mortuary means a place where dead bodies are kept before burial or cremation.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient mortuus "dead", dead, past participle of mori (to die).
2. Stage 2 · Medieval Latin · medieval mortuarium "a place associated with the dead", formed for a place associated with the dead.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1400s mortuary "a place where dead bodies are kept before burial or cremation", settled as the English word for a place where dead bodies are kept.