Exequial

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. relating to funeral rites or ceremonies honoring the dead
2. of or pertaining to solemn burial or memorial services for the deceased
3. connected with funeral proceedings or the ceremonial treatment of the dead

Etymology: "Exequial" is a rare adjective meaning relating to funerals, and it comes straight from Latin. Its Latin source, "exsequialis," was built on "exsequiae," meaning funeral rites or funeral processions. That noun is itself the root of "exequies," the English word for funeral ceremonies, so "exequial" and "exequies" are close relatives that share the same ancestry. The Latin noun "exsequiae" was formed from "exsequi," a verb meaning to follow to the end or to attend to something through to its completion. The idea behind the funeral sense is that the mourners follow the dead person on their final journey, so the ceremony is the last thing done for the deceased. Latin writers therefore used a word about carrying a task through to its finish to name the rituals that saw a body to the grave. The adjective keeps that sense of solemn duty. English speakers who choose "exequial" over the more familiar "funeral" are reaching for the formal, Latinate register that the word has carried since it was borrowed.

Synonyms: funereal, funeral, sepulchral