Glossary
Advance Directive: Legal documents that outline a person's wishes regarding medical treatment if they are unable to communicate them themselves.
Afterlife: A concept of a life or existence that follows physical death.
Autopsy: A post-mortem examination to discover the cause of death or the extent of disease.
Beneficiary: A person who derives advantage from something, especially a trust, will, or life insurance policy.
Bereavement: The period of mourning and grief following the death of a loved one.
Burial: The act of placing a dead body into the ground.
Casket: A coffin in which a dead person is buried.
Cemetery: A place where dead bodies are buried.
Committal Service: A ceremony held at the grave site before burial.
Condolences: Expressions of sympathy, especially on the occasion of a death.
Cremains: Cremated human remains.
Cremation: The disposal of a dead person's body by burning it to ashes.
Death-versary: The anniversary of the date someone died.
Death Certificate: An official document issued to record a person's death.
Deceased: Another word meaning “dead”
Disposition: The final arrangement or settlement of a dead person's body, such as burial or cremation.
DNR (Do Not Resuscitate): A medical order indicating that no attempts should be made to revive a patient if they stop breathing or their heart stops.
Embalming: The process of preserving a dead body to delay decomposition.
Epitaph: An inscription on a tombstone in memory of the person buried there.
Estate: All the money, property, and other assets that a person leaves behind at death.
Eulogy: A speech or piece of writing that praises someone highly, typically someone who has just died.
Executor: A person appointed to carry out the terms of a will.
Exhumation: The act of digging up something buried, especially a corpse.
Funeral: A ceremony honoring and remembering a deceased person.
Graveside Service: A funeral service held at the site of the burial.
Gravestone: A stone marker that indicates where a dead person is buried.
Grief: Deep sorrow, especially caused by someone's death.
Grief-Brain: The common occurrence of forgetfulness and clouded thoughts that accompanies grief
Holographic Will: A will entirely handwritten and signed by the testator.
Hospice: A type of care designed to provide comfort and support to people in the final phase of a terminal illness.
Inheritance: Assets passed from the deceased to their heirs.
Interment: The burial of a corpse in a grave or tomb.
Intestate: Dying without having made a will.
Living Will: A document that indicates what medical treatments a person wants or does not want if they become unable to communicate.
Mausoleum: A building housing tombs.
Memorial Service: A ceremony to honor and remember a deceased person.
Mourning: The act of expressing sorrow for someone's death.
Obituary: A notice of a death, typically including a brief biography of the deceased.
Orphan: A person whose parents are both deceased.
Passed Away: Another way of saying someone has died.
Pallbearer: A person who helps to carry a coffin at a funeral.
Peregrine: A term used to describe someone who has lost a child.
Probate: The legal process of administering the estate of a deceased person.
Repose: Temporary rest of a deceased person before burial.
Sepulcher: A small room or monument where a dead person is buried.
Sorrow: A feeling of deep distress caused by loss.
Testament: Another term for a will, outlining the deceased's wishes regarding their property.
Thanatology: The scientific study of death and the practices associated with it.
Tomb: A large vault for burying the dead.
Trustee: an individual given administrative powers of assets in Trust.
Trust: A legal relationship created to hold assets for the benefit of certain persons or entities.
Urn: A container for cremated remains.
Wake: A vigil held for a dead person, traditionally involving a gathering of family and friends.
Widow/Widower: A woman or man whose spouse has died.
Will: A legal document that details how you want your property and assets to be distributed after your death