morgue
/ˈmoɾɡe/feminine
The English word 'morgue' can be translated into Spanish as morgue or depósito de cadáveres.
Meaning: place for dead people (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| morgue | /ˈmoɾɡe/ | feminine |
| depósito de cadáveres | /deˌposito de kaˈdabeɾes/ | masculine |
Both terms refer to a place where dead bodies are kept. depósito de cadáveres is a formal way to say 'morgue'.
Which one should you use?
morgue is a feminine noun, while depósito de cadáveres is a masculine noun. In formal medical or forensic contexts, you may also encounter the term sala de autopsias.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈmoɾɡe/
Did you know?
- While morgue refers to the building, the Spanish word morgue can also historically refer to a person's 'attitude' or 'appearance' in some contexts, derived from the French sense of 'a display'.
- While morgue is the direct translation, Spanish speakers often use tanatorio to describe the modern facility where bodies are kept and families gather for wakes.
- The Spanish word morgue was borrowed directly from French, rather than being derived from Latin like many other Spanish nouns.
Examples in context
- Ese edificio blanco es una morgue.That white building is a morgue.This sentence is useful for identifying a building as a morgue.Tatoeba #1400127 by hayastan, translation #467845 by CK
- El médico envió a la paciente viva a la morgue.The doctor sent the live patient to the morgue.This sentence illustrates the use of morgue in a medical context.Tatoeba #1131304 by marcelostockle, translation #1131305 by marcelostockle
- La policía llevó el cuerpo al depósito de cadáveres para hacerle la autopsia.The police took the body to the morgue for an autopsy.
- El médico forense hizo referencia a un posible homicidio en su informe de la autopsia realizada en la sala de autopsias.The forensic doctor referred to a possible homicide in his autopsy report conducted at the morgue.
- La policía llevó el cuerpo a la morgue.The police took the body to the morgue.
Example conversation
Two colleagues are talking about a police investigation.
- AlejandroAlejandro, ¿ya fueron los peritos a la morgue?Alejandro, did the experts already go to the morgue?
- LucíaSí, Lucía, fueron hace una hora.Yes, Lucía, they went an hour ago.
- Alejandro¿Encontraron alguna prueba nueva en la morgue?Did they find any new evidence at the morgue?
- LucíaAún no han entregado el informe final.They haven't delivered the final report yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “morgue” translations and entries morgue, depósito de cadáveres, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, depósito, morgue, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
