Urn

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ɜːn/

Definitions

1. A container, typically with a narrow neck, utilized for storing cremated remains or other materials, often taking on artistic forms for decorative use
2. This vessel serves multiple purposes, including holding ashes from cremation, functioning as a decorative piece, or acting as a planter, often characterized by its distinct shape
3. A rounded container often used to hold cremated remains or various substances, featuring a narrow opening ; a container designed for ornamental or practical use, sometimes employed as a planter or display piece

Etymology: The word "urn" comes from Latin "urna", meaning a jar or pitcher for holding water or other liquids, and it reached English through that Latin source. Its earliest sense was a vessel of this general kind, and the funerary meaning, a container for ashes, grew out of the older idea of a sealed or closed jar. The Latin "urna" itself is usually linked to "urceus", a word for a pitcher, which suggests a shared base for storage vessels in the classical world. Because the form stayed close to its Latin shape, "urn" is a rare English word that kept its ancient sense of a holder for something precious and contained. The word ended up tied to burial rather than to water, and that shift in use is where the term's modern meaning took hold.

Synonyms: vase, container, receptacle, jar, pot