director de funeraria
/diɾeɡtoɾ de funeɾaɾja/from spelling rules
The Spanish word for mortician is director de funeraria.
director de funeraria refers to the person who manages a funeral home or its services. While the adjective funerario is often used to describe things related to the profession, director de funeraria is the standard way to refer to the person themselves.
Meaning: undertaker (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of director (director or manager), de (of) and funeraria (funeral home).
Which one should you use?
Do not confuse director de funeraria, who manages the funeral home or services, with a sepulturero, which refers to a gravedigger.
How does it change in a sentence?
To refer to a female mortician, change the masculine director to the feminine directora to get directora de funeraria. To refer to multiple people, use the plural form directores de funeraria.
How do you pronounce it?
/diɾeɡtoɾ de funeɾaɾja/
Did you know?
- While a director de funeraria manages the business, the person who specifically prepares the body is often called a tanatopractor. This distinction between the administrator and the technician is more common in Spanish than in English.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, the director de funeraria may coordinate the velatorio, a wake where the family remains with the deceased for several days, sometimes in the funeral home or a private residence.
- The word funeraria shares a common root with the English word 'funeral', both descending from the Latin term 'funus' which refers to a death or a burial.
Examples in context
- Mi tío es embalsamador y trabaja en un instituto de anatomía.My uncle is a mortician and works at an anatomy institute.
- Mi vecina trabaja como enterradora en el cementerio municipal.My neighbor works as a mortician at the municipal cemetery.
- Mi abuelo era el encargado de las pompas fúnebres del puebloMy grandfather was the undertaker of the town.
- El director de funeraria es muy profesional.The mortician is very professional.
Example conversation
Mateo and María are discussing funeral arrangements.
- Mateo¿Ya llamaste al director de funeraria, María?Did you already call the mortician, María?
- MaríaSí, Mateo, ya hablé con él.Yes, Mateo, I already spoke with him.
- Mateo¿Qué te dijo sobre el ataúd?What did he tell you about the casket?
- MaríaQue el director de funeraria nos enviará el catálogo.That the mortician will send us the catalog.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry director de funeraria, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, director, funeraria, CC BY-SA 4.0.
