Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
Mortuary \Mor"tu*a*ry\, n.; pl. {Mortuaries}. [LL. mortuarium.
See {Mortuary}, a.]
1. A sort of ecclesiastical heriot, a customary gift claimed
by, and due to, the minister of a parish on the death of a
parishioner. It seems to have been originally a voluntary
bequest or donation, intended to make amends for any
failure in the payment of tithes of which the deceased had
been guilty.
2. A burial place; a place for the dead.
3. A place for the reception of the dead before burial; a
deadhouse; a morgue.
Mortuary \Mor"tu*a*ry\, a. [L. mortuarius, fr. mortuus dead: cf.
F. mortuaire. See {Mortal}.]
Of or pertaining to the dead; as, mortuary monuments.
{Mortuary urn}, an urn for holding the ashes of the dead.
Source : WordNet®
mortuary
adj 1: of or relating to or characteristic of death
2: of or relating to a funeral
n : a building (or room) where dead bodies are kept before
burial or cremation [syn: {morgue}, {dead room}]