Glossary
What is mortuary?
A 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.
In everyday use, "mortuary" and "funeral home" usually mean the same kind of business, and many establishments use the words interchangeably in their own names. Historically, "mortuary" leaned toward the technical side of care — receiving, refrigerating, and preparing the body — while "funeral home" suggested the public side, with viewing rooms and a chapel for services.
A full-service mortuary or funeral home can handle everything from transporting the body to the service and final disposition. A facility focused mainly on preparation may coordinate with a separate funeral home or crematory for the ceremony and the cremation or burial.
Like any provider that sells both funeral goods and services, a mortuary is covered by the FTC Funeral Rule. That means it must give you a General Price List to keep, quote prices over the phone, let you buy individual items rather than only packages, and accept a casket or urn you bought elsewhere without a handling fee.
Related terms
Funeral director
A 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.
Crematory
A 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.
Refrigeration
Refrigeration 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.
Embalming
Embalming 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.
See also
Common questions about Mortuary
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This definition is general information, not legal or financial advice. Laws and prices vary by state and provider. See our editorial standards.