morgue
/ˈmoɾɡe/
The English phrase 'mortuary' is translated into Spanish as morgue.
Which one should you use?
morgue refers specifically to a medical or police facility for bodies, tanatorio is the common term for a commercial mortuary or funeral home where wakes are held. Funeraria is a formal term for a mortuary.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Tanatorio is a formal term primarily used in Spain to denote a place where wakes and funerals are held.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈmoɾɡe/
Did you know?
- In Spain, it is common for a tanatorio to have a café or restaurant on site to serve visitors during the long waking periods.
- The word tanatorio is derived from the Greek 'thanatos', meaning 'death', making it a more direct linguistic relative to the English 'thanatosis' than 'mortuary' is.
- In Spanish, the word velatorio specifically refers to the room within a tanatorio where the body is 'watched' or veiled.
Examples in context
- Mi abuelo fue llevado a la funeraria después de su fallecimiento.My grandfather was taken to the mortuary after his passing.
- Todos nos reuniremos en el velatorio esta noche para honrar a nuestro amigo.We will all gather at the wake tonight to honor our friend.
- El cuerpo está en la morgue.The body is in the morgue.
- ¿Dónde está la morgue del hospital?Where is the hospital morgue?
- Llevaron la evidencia a la morgue.They took the evidence to the morgue.
Example conversation
Alejandro and María are discussing a crime scene investigation.
- AlejandroMaría, ¿sabes dónde está la morgue?María, do you know where the morgue is?
- MaríaEstá en el sótano del edificio.It is in the basement of the building.
- AlejandroNecesito ir a la morgue ahora.I need to go to the morgue now.
- MaríaTen cuidado, Alejandro.Be careful, Alejandro.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry morgue, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
