undertaker

Everyday

A person whose job is to prepare dead bodies for burial or cremation and to arrange funerals; in the US also called a funeral director or mortician. tree →

In the lessons

In everyday life the undertaker helps a family after someone dies. In stories and old films an undertaker may be a spooky or comic character, measuring people for coffins. The polite modern word is «funeral director».

Examples

• The undertaker arranged the funeral. tree →
• The family phoned the undertaker when Grandpa passed away. tree →
• The undertaker wore a black suit and a tall hat. tree →
• In the western film, the undertaker measured the cowboy for a coffin. tree →
• The undertaker drove the hearse slowly. tree →
• The undertaker's shop was on the high street. tree →

Note

An undertaker does not «undertake» tasks in the general sense — the old meaning was «someone who takes on (a funeral)». Polite: funeral director (UK), mortician (US). Use «an» before it.