Every industry and business has its own lingo. This is no different when it comes to burials and cemeteries. Understanding this lingo can go a long way in helping you feel more comfortable when having to make arrangements with a cemetery in Hagerstown, MD. Keep reading as we cover some of the most common terms and their meanings when it comes to cemeteries. 

Cemetery Terminology and Their Meanings 

• Committal Service – This is the final service held after a funeral. It is here when the casket will be lowered into the ground. This service is much shorter in length than a funeral service. 

• Commercial Cemetery - These cemeteries are for-profit and non-denominational spaces that are typically owed by corporations rather than religious entities 

• Community Mausoleums - These mausoleums allow most anyone in the public to be held there. 

• Companion Plot - This is when two plots are sold in a cemetery that are side-by-side. This allows for each space to hold one casket and be beside one another. 

• Crypt- A crypt is a space for a casket. These are most often found in mausoleums. 

• Double-depth burial – Rather than side-by-side, this term refers to when two caskets are buried one on top of the other. 

• Easement - This is the contract that is created between the cemetery and the person purchasing the rights if interment. 

• Entombment -This is the process of placing a casket in a mausoleum 

• Exhumation - The process of removing human remains out of the grave 

• Grave depression - A sink-hole in the ground directly over a grave, caused by the degradation of the coffin. 

• Grave liner - Also called a gave vault, this is a vessel that holds the casket. Its purpose is to help support the ground above the casket so that it does not cave in or sink 

• Green burial - This refers to a burial that is free of chemicals from the embalming process and the materials used are eco-friendly 

• Interment - This is the term that refers to the burial of human remains in a grave 

• Inurnment - This is the term that refers to the placing of an urn inside a niche 

• Outer Burial Container - This is another term used for a grave liner 

• Perpetual care - This is money set aside for future and continued care of the grave site and the grounds 

• Single plot - A single plot is one plot designed for burial of one single casket 

• The Right of Interment - This gives the purchaser of the burial plot the right to bury their loved one in the space. This means they own the plot but not the actual land itself. 

While these are certainly not the only cemetery terms you may come across when making arrangements for your loved one, these are some of the most commonly used. Remember if at any time you are not familiar with a term you hear, don’t be afraid to ask more about it so that you fully understand what is taking place. 

If you need further information about making arrangements with a cemetery in Hagerstown, MD. , don’t hesitate to give us a call or come by as we are here to help.