I. mor ‧ tu ‧ a ‧ ry 1 /ˈmɔːtʃuəri $ ˈmɔːrtʃueri/ BrE AmE noun ( plural mortuaries ) [countable]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Medieval Latin ; Origin: mortuarium , from Latin mortuus 'dead' ]
1 . British English a building or room, for example in a hospital, where dead bodies are kept before they are buried or ↑ cremate d SYN morgue
2 . American English the place where a body is kept before a funeral and where the funeral is sometimes held
II. mortuary 2 BrE AmE adjective [only before noun]
formal connected with death or funerals:
a mortuary urn