Glossary
What is entombment?
Entombment 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.
A crypt may be a single space or stacked in a wall of crypts within a community mausoleum, or a family may build a private mausoleum. As with burial, there is an opening-and-closing fee to open and seal the crypt.
Entombment appeals to families who prefer an above-ground resting place or whose ground conditions make burial difficult. Costs vary widely by mausoleum and location.
Related terms
Mausoleum
A 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.
Crypt
A 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.
Interment
Interment 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.
Inurnment
Inurnment 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.
Common questions about Entombment
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