undertaker

noun

un·​der·​tak·​er
ˌən-dər-ˈtā-kər,
sense 2 is
ˈən-dər-ˌtā-kər How to pronounce undertaker (audio)
1
: one who undertakes : one who takes the risk and management of business : entrepreneur
2
: one whose business is to prepare the dead for burial and to arrange and manage funerals
3
: an Englishman taking over forfeited lands in Ireland in the 16th and 17th centuries

Did you know?

You may wonder how the word undertaker made the transition from "one who undertakes" to "one who makes a living in the funeral business." The latter meaning descends from the use of the word to mean "one who takes on business responsibilities." In the 18th century, a funeral-undertaker was someone who undertook, or managed, a funeral business. There were many undertakers in those days, undertaking all sorts of businesses, but as time went on undertaker became specifically identified with the profession of arranging burial. Today, funeral director is more commonly used, but undertaker still appears.

Examples of undertaker in a Sentence

the undertaker wore black clothes and a solemn expression
Recent Examples on the Web Many publicans in 19th-century Ireland doubled as grocers or even undertakers. Carson Terbush, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024 In fancy purlieus, though, undertakers were met with intransigence. Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 2 Feb. 2024 The pair borrowed a hearse from one of Knight’s friends and pretended to be undertakers to transport Riva’s body to the funeral home with a tiny lil’ pitstop in Jimmy’s autopsy suite to confirm the coroner’s findings. EW.com, 12 Feb. 2024 If not, a trip down Death Road, to the wealthy undertaker, who cremates programs. Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Dec. 2023 There, Basel’s remains were handed over to Syrian undertakers who took them to a burial site outside Aleppo. Matina Stevis-Gridneff, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2023 Researchers came to this conclusion based on records from a church that served as a makeshift Confederate hospital after the battle, the ledger of a local undertaker and several other historical sources. Christopher Parker, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Aug. 2023 Mourning Might Be One of Them Social insects like ants and honeybees, for example, act as impromptu undertakers, carting dead colony members away from the nest. Alex Orlando, Discover Magazine, 31 Aug. 2023 By default, many vets double as undertakers, passing on a pet’s body to a regional crematorium that accepts animal remains. Eleanor Cummins, The Atlantic, 13 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'undertaker.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of undertaker was in the 15th century

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Dictionary Entries Near undertaker

Cite this Entry

“Undertaker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/undertaker. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

undertaker

noun
un·​der·​tak·​er ˈən-dər-ˌtā-kər How to pronounce undertaker (audio)
: a person whose business is to prepare the dead for burial or cremation and to take charge of funerals

Medical Definition

undertaker

noun
un·​der·​tak·​er ˈən-dər-ˌtā-kər How to pronounce undertaker (audio)
: an individual whose business is to prepare the dead for burial and to arrange and manage funerals

called also mortician

More from Merriam-Webster on undertaker

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