Where the Words Cemetery, Morgue, Hearse, and Funeral Come From

Many of the words we use around death have surprising backgrounds. This article traces five of them using dictionary histories.

Where does “cemetery” come from?

From the Greek word for a sleeping place. The Online Etymology Dictionary traces “cemetery” through Old French and Medieval Latin to the Greek koimeterion, meaning “sleeping place” or “dormitory,” from koiman, “to put to sleep.” Merriam-Webster and Dictionary.com give the same path. A column in The Saturday Evening Post notes that early Christian writers chose the Latin form coemeterium to blunt the impact of a direct reference to a burial site. In other words, the word began as a gentle way of speaking. See Why Do We Say “Passed Away”?.

What is a necropolis?

A large cemetery, literally a “city of the dead.” The dictionary dates the English word to 1803, from Late Latin, and from the Greek nekropolis, the name of a burial place near Alexandria. It combines nekros, “corpse,” and polis, “city.”

Where does “morgue” come from?

From a building in Paris. The Online Etymology Dictionary says the English word dates from 1821 and comes from the French Morgue, originally a specific building in Paris where bodies were displayed so that family or friends could identify them. The name itself is probably from an older French word, morgue, meaning haughtiness or a solemn look, from the verb morguer, “to look solemnly.” The entry also quotes a 1768 French-English dictionary that defines morgue in an older sense as a small room where a new prisoner is held for a time.

Where does “hearse” come from?

From a farm tool and a candle frame. Both the Online Etymology Dictionary and Merriam-Webster explain that “hearse” began around 1300 as a triangular framework for candles, hung over a coffin. It came from the Old French herse, meaning a harrow, which is a rake for breaking up soil, and the frame looked like one. Merriam-Webster says that a series of slightly changed meanings led to using “hearse” for a platform for a corpse or coffin, and then for a vehicle that carries the dead to the grave. The ultimate source is the Latin hirpex, “harrow.” The dictionary adds that the Latin word may come from an Oscan word for “wolf,” perhaps because of the harrow’s teeth, but that this is not certain.

Where does “funeral” come from?

From Latin funus, meaning “funeral” or “death.” The dictionary traces the English adjective, late in the 14th century, to Medieval Latin funeralia (“funeral rites”) and Late Latin funeralis. The noun meaning a burial ceremony appeared in the 1510s and is probably short for “funeral service.” The related word “funereal,” meaning gloomy, dates to 1725. The classical Latin adjective was funebris.

What do these words have in common?

They carry earlier meanings that are easy to miss. A cemetery was once a “sleeping place,” a hearse was once a candle frame, and a morgue was named for a building in Paris. Words for death have often been softened or borrowed from something ordinary.

Where can I learn more?

See Coffin, Casket, Undertaker, Mortician: How Funeral Words Changed, The History of the American Cemetery, and What Gravestones Say.