A building where dead bodies are prepared for burial or cremation, or where they are kept temporarily.
From Latin 'mortuarius' meaning 'relating to death,' derived from 'mors' (death). The word entered English in the medieval period as Christianity became dominant.
The Latin root 'mors' (death) gave English dozens of dark but important words: mortal, mortality, mortify, and mortgage—yes, a mortgage is technically a 'death pledge' because it ends when you pay it off!
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