undertaker

noun

un·​der·​tak·​er

ˌən-dər-ˈtā-kər,

sense 2 is

ˈən-dər-ˌtā-kər 

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.

Synonyms

• funeral director
• mortician

Examples of undertaker in a Sentence

the undertaker wore black clothes and a solemn expression

Recent Examples on the Web

Florists ran out of flowers, and undertakers ran out of coffins, signaling extreme mortality rates. —Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Dec. 2024

In addition, the award-winning and emerging writers were asked to include three of eight items in each story: a shovel, the name Sandi, an undertaker, a Minnesota Twins baseball cap, chattering teeth, whistling, smoke and a mousetrap. —Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 24 Nov. 2024

This 1920's palazzo in L.A.'s Fremont Place enclave was owned for decades by one of Hollywood’s favorite undertakers and later was leased to a prominent futurist. —Mark Voss, Robb Report, 22 Nov. 2024

Buy Now 05 of 22 'The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy' by Megan Bannen Set in a vivid and magical world full of spooky details, The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is a wholly unique story of a marshal who patrols a supernatural world (Hart) and an undertaker (Mercy) who inadvertently become pen pals. —Sabienna Bowman, People.com, 11 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

undertaker

noun

un·​der·​tak·​er ˈən-dər-ˌtā-kər 

: 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 

: an individual whose business is to prepare the dead for burial and to arrange and manage funerals

called also mortician