What does undertaker mean?
An undertaker is a person professionally responsible for preparing a deceased person's body and arranging the funeral, including burial or cremation. The word is especially common in British English, while American speakers more often use “funeral director” or “mortician.” Its original, broader meaning referred to anyone who took charge of an undertaking, such as a business or public project, but the professional sense relating to funerals eventually became dominant. Today, saying that someone is the undertaker may sound more traditional than describing them as a funeral director. In ordinary contexts, the word can also refer informally to the person who makes the practical arrangements after a death, often while relatives make decisions about services, documents, and the disposition of the body.
nounA person whose occupation is to prepare a deceased person's body and arrange the funeral. Historically, it could also mean a person who took responsibility for an undertaking, such as a business enterprise.
- A funeral professional who prepares the body of a deceased person and arranges burial or cremation.
- Archaically, a person who takes responsibility for an undertaking, especially a business enterprise or public project.
"The local undertaker explained the family's burial options."
"The local undertaker explained the burial options to the grieving family."
"In older writing, an undertaker could mean a promoter who backed a new enterprise."
Used when referring to more than one funeral professional.
"The two undertakers coordinated the funeral arrangements."
An undertaker once meant anyone who took charge of an undertaking; today it is the person trusted with some of a family's most difficult arrangements.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does undertaker come from?
Undertaker is an English compound formed in the late 16th century from under and taker, literally meaning “one who takes on” an enterprise or task. Its original general sense was a person who undertook a project or business; by the late 17th century, it had become established for someone who made funeral arrangements. The related forms undertake and undertaking preserve the same older idea of taking on responsibility for something.
How undertaker is actually used
The word is standard in British English and remains understood in American English, where “funeral director” is usually more common. In the United States, “undertaker” can sound traditional or old-fashioned.