Glossary
Funeral & cremation glossary
Calla's funeral and cremation glossary defines 66 terms families meet when arranging a death — from direct cremation, embalming, and green burial to the FTC Funeral Rule and veterans burial benefits. Each entry gives a plain-language definition, what it typically costs, and how it affects your choices.
A
- Advance directiveAn advance directive is a legal document, completed in advance, that states what medical treatments a person wants or doesn't want, and/or names a health care proxy to decide on their behalf, if illness or injury later leaves them unable to communicate their own wishes.
- Alkaline hydrolysisAlkaline hydrolysis, also called water cremation or aquamation, is a process that reduces a body to bone fragments using heated water and an alkali instead of flame. The bone is then dried and processed into ash-like remains returned to the family.
- AquamationAquamation, also called water cremation or flameless cremation, is the common name for alkaline hydrolysis — a process that uses heated water and alkali instead of fire to reduce a body to bone ash. It uses far less energy than flame cremation and is legal in a growing number of US states.
- At-needAt-need refers to funeral arrangements made at the time of death, when a family plans and pays for services right after a loved one dies. It is the counterpart to preneed, or pre-planning, which is arranging and often paying in advance.
- AutopsyAn autopsy is a medical examination of a body after death to determine the cause and manner of death. It may be ordered by a coroner or medical examiner in certain deaths, or requested by the family for medical reasons.
B
- Basic services feeThe basic services fee is the non-declinable charge every funeral home adds for its essential work — planning, permits, staff, and overhead — no matter what else you buy. Under the FTC Funeral Rule it must appear on the price list, and it typically runs $1,000 to $4,500.
- BeneficiaryA beneficiary is the person or entity named to receive the proceeds of a life insurance policy, retirement account, or payable-on-death account when the owner dies. The payout passes directly to the beneficiary and generally bypasses probate.
- Body donationBody donation, or whole-body donation, is giving your body after death to a medical school or research program for education and study. It is different from organ donation, is usually low- or no-cost to the family, and the program typically returns cremated remains afterward.
- Burial permitA burial permit, also called a disposition or burial-transit permit, is the legal authorization required before a body can be buried, cremated, or transported. It is issued by a local or state authority after the death is registered, and the funeral home usually obtains it for you.
- Burial plotA burial plot is a specific space in a cemetery reserved for a burial. When you buy a plot you are purchasing the right to be interred there — the right of interment — not the land itself, and cemetery rules govern markers, vaults, and how many remains a plot may hold.
- Burial vaultA burial vault is a sealed outer container, usually concrete or reinforced material, that encloses the casket in the grave. It supports the soil above and helps keep the ground level. Many cemeteries require a vault or a grave liner.
C
- Cash advance itemsCash advance items are goods and services a funeral home buys from outside parties on your behalf — such as death certificates, obituary notices, flowers, clergy honoraria, or musicians. The FTC Funeral Rule requires the home to tell you if it adds a service charge or markup to these costs.
- CasketA casket is the container, traditionally rectangular with a hinged lid, in which a body is buried or sometimes cremated. Caskets are made from wood, metal, or other materials and vary widely in price depending on construction and finish.
- CodicilA codicil is a legal document that amends, adds to, or revokes part of an existing will without replacing it entirely. It must be signed and witnessed with the same formalities as a will and is typically used for minor updates, such as changing a beneficiary or executor.
- ColumbariumA columbarium is a structure or wall containing niches that hold urns of cremated remains. It is often located in a cemetery, mausoleum, or place of worship, and provides a permanent, visitable place for ashes.
- CremainsCremains is a common term for cremated remains — the bone fragments left after cremation, processed into a coarse, sandy material. They are returned to the family and can be kept in an urn, buried, scattered, or placed in a niche.
- CremationCremation is the use of intense heat to reduce a body to bone fragments, which are then processed into cremated remains and returned to the family. It is an alternative to burial and can be paired with a funeral, a memorial, or no service at all.
- Cremation authorizationCremation authorization refers to the signed legal permission required before a body can be cremated. It is given by the legally authorized next of kin or a designated agent, and crematories will not proceed without it.
- Cremation containerA cremation container is the rigid, combustible container that holds the body during cremation. It is usually a simple wood or cardboard box rather than a casket. The FTC Funeral Rule bars funeral homes from requiring you to buy a casket for cremation.
- Cremation jewelryCremation jewelry is a keepsake — such as a pendant, ring, or bracelet — designed to hold a small amount of a loved one's cremated remains, a lock of hair, or a pinch of soil. Also called memorial or remembrance jewelry, it lets families keep a tangible connection close.
- CrematoryA crematory is a facility that performs cremations, housing the specialized furnace used to reduce a body to bone fragments. Some funeral homes operate their own crematory on site, while others send bodies to a separate licensed facility.
- CryptA crypt is a chamber, typically above ground in a mausoleum, that holds a casket. Families purchase the right to entomb a body in a specific crypt, often choosing between single, companion, or stacked arrangements.
D
- Death certificateA death certificate is the official government record of a person's death, listing identifying details and the cause of death. Certified copies are needed to settle the estate, claim benefits, close accounts, and arrange burial or cremation.
- Death doulaA death doula, also called an end-of-life doula, is a non-medical companion who supports a dying person and their family — offering emotional presence, practical planning, and guidance through the final months, days, and hours. They complement, but do not replace, hospice and medical care.
- Direct cremationDirect cremation is cremation that takes place soon after death with no viewing, visitation, or ceremony beforehand. It is usually the lowest-cost cremation option, and any memorial the family wants can be held separately, later, and anywhere.
- DispositionDisposition refers to the final handling of a body — most commonly burial, entombment, cremation, or alkaline hydrolysis. The method of disposition is recorded on official paperwork and usually requires authorization from the legal next of kin.
E
- EmbalmingEmbalming is the temporary preservation of a body by replacing its fluids with chemical solutions that slow decomposition. It is sometimes used before a viewing or for transport, but is rarely required by law and is not necessary for most funerals.
- EntombmentEntombment is placing a body in an above-ground tomb, most often a crypt inside a mausoleum, rather than burying it in the ground. It is the above-ground counterpart to interment, while cremated remains placed in a niche are usually called inurnment instead.
- EulogyA eulogy is a speech that honors and remembers the person who died, usually delivered at a funeral or memorial service. It is often given by a family member, close friend, or officiant, and may include stories, qualities, and shared memories.
- ExecutorAn executor is the person or institution named in a will—or appointed by a probate court if there's no will—responsible for managing a deceased person's estate: locating assets, paying debts and taxes, and distributing remaining property to beneficiaries under a legal fiduciary duty.
F
- FTC Funeral RuleThe FTC Funeral Rule is a US Federal Trade Commission regulation that gives consumers rights when buying funeral goods and services. It requires itemized pricing, lets you buy only what you want, and bars certain misrepresentations by funeral homes.
- Final expense insuranceFinal expense insurance is a small whole-life insurance policy, usually $5,000 to $25,000, designed to cover funeral, burial or cremation, and final bills. It pays a cash benefit to a named beneficiary and is also called burial or funeral insurance.
- Funeral directorA funeral director is a licensed professional who arranges and oversees funeral, burial, and cremation services. They handle the body, coordinate paperwork such as permits and death certificates, and guide families through the choices involved.
- Funeral trustA funeral trust is a legal arrangement that holds money set aside to pay for funeral or burial expenses. Often used to fund a preneed plan, it keeps the money protected and earmarked, and when made irrevocable may be excluded from Medicaid asset limits.
G
- General Price ListA General Price List, or GPL, is the itemized list of prices a funeral home must provide under the FTC Funeral Rule. It lets you see the cost of each good and service separately so you can compare providers and choose only what you want.
- Grave linerA grave liner is a basic outer burial container that covers the top and sides of a casket in the ground. Like a burial vault, it keeps the ground from settling, but it is unsealed and usually less expensive than a fully sealed vault.
- Graveside serviceA graveside service is a ceremony held at the burial site, usually just before interment. It may be the only service or may follow a funeral held elsewhere, and is often shorter and more intimate, with readings, prayers, or final words at the grave.
- Green burialGreen burial, or natural burial, is burial that minimizes environmental impact by skipping embalming chemicals, metal caskets, and concrete vaults. The body is placed in a biodegradable casket or shroud so it can return naturally to the earth.
H
- HeadstoneA headstone is the marker placed at a grave to identify the person buried there, usually inscribed with their name and dates. Also called a grave marker or monument, it can be a flat marker set level with the ground or an upright stone, and is bought and installed separately from the funeral.
- HearseA hearse is the vehicle used to carry a casket to the funeral, church, or cemetery. Also called a funeral coach, it is typically a long, specially built car, and its use is a standard, declinable line item on a funeral home's price list.
- Home funeralA home funeral is one in which the family cares for and keeps the body at home for viewing and ceremony, rather than using a funeral home's facilities. Families may handle some or all arrangements themselves, within what their state's laws allow.
- Human compostingHuman composting, formally called natural organic reduction, gently transforms a body into nutrient-rich soil over several weeks using organic material, warmth, and oxygen. Sometimes called terramation, it is an eco-friendly alternative to burial or cremation and is legal in a small but growing number of US states.
I
- Immediate burialImmediate burial is burial that takes place soon after death without embalming, a viewing, or a formal ceremony beforehand. Like direct cremation, it is a lower-cost option, and any memorial service can be held separately afterward.
- IntermentInterment is the act of placing a body or cremated remains in their final resting place, most often by burying a casket in the ground or entombing it in a crypt. The cemetery fee to open and close the grave is commonly called the interment charge.
- InurnmentInurnment is the placing of cremated remains into an urn, or the placing of an urn into its final resting place such as a columbarium niche or a grave. It is the cremation counterpart to the burial term interment.
M
- MausoleumA mausoleum is an above-ground building that holds caskets in crypts, and sometimes cremated remains in niches. It offers entombment as an alternative to in-ground burial, either in a large community structure or a private family mausoleum.
- Memorial serviceA memorial service is a ceremony to honor someone who has died, held without the body present. Because it is not tied to the body, it can take place days or weeks later, in any location, and is common after direct cremation or immediate burial.
- MortuaryA mortuary is a facility where bodies are received, prepared, and held before burial or cremation. The term is often used interchangeably with funeral home, though a mortuary can also mean a building focused on preparation and storage of the body.
N
- National cemeteryA national cemetery is a federal burial ground, most run by the US Department of Veterans Affairs, for eligible veterans and certain family members. Burial in a VA national cemetery includes the grave, opening and closing, a liner, and a headstone at no cost.
- Next of kinNext of kin is a person's closest living relative or relatives. After a death, the next of kin usually has the legal right — and responsibility — to make decisions about the body, including burial or cremation, unless the deceased named someone else in advance.
- NicheA niche is a compartment in a columbarium or niche wall that holds an urn of cremated remains. Families buy the right to place an urn in a specific niche, which provides a permanent, visitable resting place without an in-ground grave.
O
- ObituaryAn obituary is a published notice of a person's death that typically shares biographical details, surviving family, and service information. It may appear in a newspaper or online, and newspapers often charge a fee based on length.
- Opening and closing feeThe opening and closing fee is what a cemetery charges to dig and refill a grave — or to open and reseal a crypt or niche — for a burial or entombment. Billed separately by the cemetery, not the funeral home, it commonly runs $1,000 to $3,000 and is easy to overlook.
P
- PallbearerA pallbearer is one of the people who carry or escort the casket at a funeral, typically from the service to the hearse and to the graveside. Pallbearers are usually family members or close friends, and honorary pallbearers walk alongside without lifting.
- Perpetual carePerpetual care, also called endowment care, is the ongoing upkeep of a cemetery — mowing, landscaping, and general maintenance. A portion of what you pay for a plot goes into a perpetual care fund whose earnings pay for that maintenance over the long term.
- PreneedPreneed, or pre-need, refers to arranging and often paying for funeral or cremation services in advance, before death. A preneed plan lets a person choose their arrangements ahead of time and can lock in or set aside funds to cover the cost.
R
- RefrigerationRefrigeration is the cooling of a body to slow decomposition while arrangements are made. It is a common alternative to embalming when only a short delay is needed, and many funeral homes offer it instead of or before embalming.
- RepastA repast is the meal or reception held after a funeral or memorial service, where family and friends gather to eat, share memories, and comfort one another. Also called a funeral reception or, in some traditions, a mercy meal, it may be held at a home, a place of worship, or a restaurant.
S
- ScatteringScattering is the dispersal of cremated remains in a chosen place, such as a garden, the sea, or private land. Where you may scatter is governed by state and local rules and by property owners' permission, so families usually check before planning.
- ShroudA shroud is a cloth used to wrap a body for burial in place of a casket. Made from natural fibers such as cotton, linen, or wool, shrouds are common in green burials and in some religious traditions that call for simple, biodegradable materials.
- Social Security death benefitThe Social Security death benefit is a one-time lump-sum payment of $255 to an eligible surviving spouse or, in some cases, a dependent child of a worker who paid into Social Security. It is a small, fixed amount and is separate from ongoing survivor benefits.
U
V
- Veterans burial benefitsVeterans burial benefits are services the US Department of Veterans Affairs provides for eligible veterans, which can include burial in a national cemetery, a government headstone or marker, a burial flag, and a Presidential Memorial Certificate.
- ViewingA viewing is a gathering, usually before the funeral, where mourners can see the body, often in an open casket, to pay respects and say goodbye. It may involve embalming or refrigeration to prepare and preserve the body for the occasion.
- VisitationVisitation, sometimes called a wake or calling hours, is a scheduled time for family and friends to gather, offer condolences, and remember the person who died. The body may or may not be present, and it usually takes place before the funeral.
W
Common questions
These definitions are general information, not legal or financial advice. Prices vary by location and provider, and laws differ by state — always request an itemized price list and confirm requirements for where you live.