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B

BACKGROUND DRAPES

Decorative drapes (usually made of velour) arranged on a frame and placed behind the casket as a background,

BAR MINEN

Jewish term for a deceased person

BARROW

a small mountain of dirt or stones raised over an unmarked burial site, created and used by ancient civilizations to bury their dead; a sepulchral mound of earth placed over a prehistoric tomb

BELLY PUNCHERS

a derogatory term used for cavity embalmers by others in the industry.  It derives from their method of "punching" holes through the abdominal wall with large trocars (needles)

BEREAVED

(N) The immediate family of the deceased. (V) suffering from grief upon the death of a loved one.

BEVEL MARKER

A rectangular grave marker, set low to the ground

BI-UNIT PRICING

a method of charging one fee for the casket and another for all funeral services-now illegal in the United States

BIER

the stand on which a corpse, coffin or casket is placed prior to burial.  It was also used to transport the body to the grave.  In Scotland, it also referred to the coffin

BIOLOGICAL DEATH

the cessation of all cellular activity in the body

BIOSCOPY

examination of a body for signs of life

BLEACHING AGENT

a chemical used to lighten skin stains on the corpse so that these marks can be hidden with cosmetics.  It contains cavity embalming fluid and phenol

BODY

a common term for a corpse

BODY SNATCHER

A person or persons who illegally disturb a grave or crypt with the intention of stealing the remains of an individual

BRAIN DEATH

a term used to indicate that a person is dead and that a lack of brain function was used to make that determination.  An imprecise term, it is now being replaced by "death by brain criteria."

BURIAL

Placing a body in a coffin or other container, in a wide range of positions, by itself or in a multiple burial, with or without personal possessions of the deceased, and put into an open grave or crypt.

BURIAL ALLOWANCE

the amount of money allocated by insurance or an organization to pay for funerary rites

BURIAL CACHE

A concealed place for burial remains and objects

BURIAL CERTIFICATE

A legal paper issued by the local government authorizing burial. The permit may authorize earth burial or cremation or removal to a distant point.

BURIAL CHEST

a nineteenth-century term for casket

BURIAL GARMENTS

Wearing apparel made especially for the dead

BURIAL MOUND

a heap of earth placed over prehistoric tombs

BURIAL PERMIT

In some states, when burial will be outside the county or town where death occurred, you will need an additional permit to inter from the local registrar in that area. In many states, the top of the coffin must be at least 3 feet below the soil surface. A burial location should be 150 feet or more from a water supply and outside the utility or power line easements.

BURIAL VAULT

a structure built within the grave to receive the body which may be used to prevent crushing of the remains, to allow for multiple burials such as a family vault, retrieval of remains for transfer to an ossuary, or because it forms a monument; for protection of the casket, it may be made of a variety or combination of materials including concrete, stainless steel, galvanized steel, copper, bronze, plastic or fiberglass.

BURIAL-TRANSIT PERMIT

a combined permit allowing transportation and cremation or burial of the body

RD Glossary by Run Digital