Glossary of Terms

1At-Need
Cemetery arrangements made at the time of death.
2Burial Certificate/ Permit
A legal document which authorizes the transfer of the deceased's casket to the cemetery for final disposition of human remains.
3Casket
A container used for placement of remains in the ground or in a mausoleum, usually made of wood or metal materials such as steel, copper or bronze. Contact a Family Service Advisor for alternative options in order to meet religious or cultural requirements.
4Cenotaph
A monument erected in honor of a person or group of people whose remains are located in a different location.
5Committal Service
A service held at the gravesite before the body or urn is buried, or in the crematory chapel prior to cremation. The service provides those present with the opportunity to say their final goodbyes just before the burial or cremation takes place.
6Community Mausoleum
A building containing crypts for entombment and sheltered from weather conditions.
7Cremation Jewelry/ Art Glass
Jewelry or glass art designed to hold a small amount of cremated remains or lock of hair.
8Crematory
A regulated facility where a body is taken for cremation.
9Disinter
The act of removing a deceased from the original place of interment.
10Entombment
The placement of remains in an above ground crypt.
11Interment
The placement of human remains in a ground plot or space.
12Inurnment
The placement of cremated remains in an urn and placed in a niche, bench, crypt or ground plot. Other types of cremation products are also available.
13Lawn Crypt (For Two)
A double depth concrete vault placed in the ground, allowing for two casket burials in a single space.
14Memorial
A bronze marker on a granite base placed flush with the landscape to mark an interment or inurnment.
15Monument
An upright granite structure marking the placement of an interment or inurnment.
16Niche/ Columbarium
A space within a wall where an urn containing cremated remains is placed.
17Ossuary
A common location for holding the cremated remains of more than one person.
18Pedestal
A four-sided granite structure holding a carved sculpture and capable of holding 2 to 4 sets of cremated remains.
19Prearrangement
Planning cemetery and funeral arrangements in advance of one's death.
20Pre-Need
Cemetery arrangements made in advance of the time of need.
21Private/ Personal Family Estate
A mausoleum containing one to 16 crypts above ground and reserved for members of the same family.
22Tandem Crypt (For Two)
An above ground unit, referred to as a crypt, which allows for two casket burials in a single space, allowing for memorialization of two people on the same crypt front.
23Urn
A container used for storing cremated remains usually fashioned of wood, bronze, metal or ceramic materials.
24Urn Vault
A concrete container placed within the ground to protect an urn from the elements.
25Vault
A concrete container often reinforced with metal placed within the ground to protect a casket from the elements and the weight of the earth.