I. ˈmȯ(r)chəˌwerē, -ri noun
( -es )
Etymology: Middle English mortuarie, from Medieval Latin mortuarium, from Latin, neuter of mortuarius, adjective
1. : corsepresent
2. : a place in which dead bodies are kept until burial ; especially : funeral home
II. adjective
Etymology: Latin mortuarius of the dead, from mortuus dead (past participle of mori to die) + -arius -ary
1. : of or relating to the burial of the dead
ropes, palls, velvet, ostrich feathers, and other mortuary properties — W.M.Thackeray
mortuary arrangements
2. : of, relating to, or characteristic of death
it continues to receive a kind of mortuary tribute in the schoolroom — Clifton Fadiman
an embalmed darkness, a darkness at once soothing and mortuary — R.M.Adams