funeral

[ fyoo-ner-uhl ]

noun

1. the ceremonies for a dead person prior to burial or cremation; obsequies.
2. a funeral procession.

adjective

1. of or relating to a funeral:

   funeral services; funeral expenses.

funeral

/ ˈfjuːnərəl /

noun

1. 1. a ceremony at which a dead person is buried or cremated
   2. ( as modifier )

      a funeral service

2. a procession of people escorting a corpse to burial
3. informal.
   worry; concern; affair

   that's your funeral

Other Words From

• pre·funer·al adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of funeral¹

1350–1400; Middle English (adj.) < Medieval Latin fūnerālis, equivalent to Latin fūner-, stem of fūnus funeral rites + -ālis -al ¹; (noun), from early 16th cent., probably < Middle French funerailles < Medieval Latin fūnerālia, neuter plural of fūnerālis

Word History and Origins

Origin of funeral¹

C14: from Medieval Latin fūnerālia , from Late Latin fūnerālis (adj), from Latin fūnus funeral

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. be someone's funeral, Informal. to have unpleasant consequences for someone:

   If you don't finish the work on time, it will be your funeral!

More idioms and phrases containing funeral

see it's your funeral .

Example Sentences

Ms James said she used to get "so nervous" when taking her first funerals.

From BBC

They can’t have a funeral unless his body is brought back to Poland — a process that involves various expenses and paperwork, for which Ola’s mother dispatches her barely-adult daughter alone to Dublin.

From New York Times

Ms Nyachuru says no post-mortem was carried out at the time - Guide was buried on the day he drowned in the family's home village, with Smyth presiding over the funeral.

From BBC

The Oscar-nominated composer and renowned music producer was laid to rest Sunday during a private funeral in Los Angeles, his family said.

From Los Angeles Times

“We had to get new money in to invest in that one musical number because we had to wait for the funeral,” Gracey says.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• burial
• cremation