Terms related to death

A hearse is a car that has been especially designed to be able to fit a coffin in the back, for transportation between a funeral home and a cemetery. Before cars were invented, hearses were horse-drawn.

A mausoleum is a type of tomb, a place where dead bodies are placed. They are usually found in cemeteries. Mausoleums are typically quite ornate small buildings, with a room underneath them. Mausoleums often hold the bodies of an entire family.

A mummy is a preserved dead body, animal or human. Mummies can be made by deliberately preserving them, or accidentally by extreme environmental conditions. The process of preserving a body is called mummification. In ancient Egypt, it was common for dead bodies to be ritually preserved for burial. Mummified bodies typically had the internal organs removed and were then dried, by desert sand or salt, and anointed with oils and perfumes and wrapped.

A sarcophagus is a coffin that is made from stone. Sarcophagi were generally used only for important people like royalty, and generally in older cultures. Most sarcophagi that are found are thousands of years old. Sarcophagi are often carved with the image of the person inside them.

A zombie, or living dead, is a dead body that can move around because of some form of magic. Zombies are typically very unfriendly and want to go around killing and eating people, particularly their brains. Zombies are frequently seen in horror movies and computer games.