10/10/2026
❓️❓️Words and phrases used in the funeral industry:❓️❓️
1️⃣ Catafalque: A stand or platform, which a coffin or casket is placed on during a funeral service at a crematorium.
2️⃣ Eulogy: A speech delivered by a family member, close friend or celebrant/minister during a funeral.
3️⃣ Humanist funeral: A non-religious funeral service.
4️⃣ Exhumation: The removal of a body from its original burial ground. This could be for relocation, or if new evidence challenges the original cause of death.
5️⃣ Repatriation: The process of transporting the body of someone who has died from one country to another. This is common if the person has died abroad
6️⃣ Order of service: An overview of what is going to happen in the funeral, like an itinerary, with a brief obituary and words for any prayers, readings or hymns.
7️⃣ Pallbearer: A person who carries or escorts the coffin at a funeral, typically a close friend or family member.
8️⃣ Funeral procession: A ceremonial convoy of vehicles, usually carrying the coffin/casket and close family of the deceased, driving at a slow speed to the venue of a funeral.
9️⃣ Death notice: A notice, typically found in a newspaper, that announces a person’s death and includes key information such as the time, date and location of their funeral. Online death notices are becoming more common.
1️⃣0️⃣ Probate: The legal process of dealing with the estate of someone who has died, in accordance with their Will.
1️⃣1️⃣ Hearse: A vehicle designed to carry a coffin or casket in a funeral procession.
1️⃣2️⃣ Embalming: The process of using special solutions to preserve a body by delaying the natural effects of death.
1️⃣3️⃣ Wake: A gathering for friends and family of the deceased, usually after the funeral service, where mourners can reflect on the person who has died.
1️⃣4️⃣ Disbursement fees: Third party services paid for by a funeral director on behalf of the bereaved family, such as crematorium/cemetery fees, newspaper notices and flowers.
1️⃣5️⃣ Obituary: A newspaper notice announcing a person’s death and giving details of the funeral.