Funeral: The Ceremony, and the Adjective That Does Not Match
A funeral is the ceremony for burying or cremating someone. The adjective is funereal, and it means gloomy.
A funeral is the ceremony held when someone is buried or cremated. English keeps a matching adjective, *funereal*, but it has drifted: it now means gloomy or very slow, so a funereal pace is a crawl, not a procession.
- A ceremony for the dead. *The funeral is on Thursday.*
- Funeral as modifier. *A funeral procession.*
- It's your funeral — that is your problem. *Go ahead; it's your funeral.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | funeral | A quiet funeral. |
| Plural | funerals | Two funerals. |
| Adjective | funereal | A funereal mood. |
| Related | burial | The burial followed. |
| Related | cremation | Cremation is more common now. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Hundreds attended the funeral.Attend is the usual verb.
- The car moved at a funereal pace.Nothing to do with death; just very slow.
- The funeral director handled everything.The modern title for an undertaker.
Words around a funeral
- Eulogy — a speech praising the person who died
- Wake — the gathering, before or after, depending on tradition
- Cortege — the procession
- Pallbearer — one of those who carry the coffin
- Obituary — the published notice of a death
From Latin *funeralia*, from *funus*, a funeral or corpse. English took it in the fifteenth century, and the adjective *funereal* comes from the same Latin word by a separate route.
Funeral or funereal?
Funeral is the noun and the modifier: a funeral service. Funereal is an adjective meaning gloomy or dismal.
What does *it's your funeral* mean?
That you may do as you like but the consequences are yours alone. It is a warning, not a threat.