Glossary of Key Terms for Funeral Planning, Wills, and End-of-Life Wishes

Planning a funeral or making arrangements for the future can feel overwhelming, especially when you encounter unfamiliar legal and ceremonial terms. This glossary explains the most commonly used words and phrases in clear, simple language, so you and your loved ones can make informed decisions with confidence.
 

Advance Decision – A legally binding document setting out treatments you wish to refuse if you lose the ability to decide in future. Sometimes called a living will.

Advance Statement – A non-binding written record of your wishes, beliefs, and preferences about future care.

Administrator – A person appointed by the court to manage an estate if there is no will or no executor available.

Ashes – The cremated remains of a person after cremation.

Attorney – Someone chosen in a Lasting Power of Attorney to make decisions on your behalf if you cannot.

Beneficiary – A person, charity, or organisation who inherits from a will, trust, or insurance policy.

Bequest – A gift left to someone in a will, which may be money, possessions, or property.

Bier – A wheeled trolley to move the coffin at a funeral.

Burial – The act of placing a body in the ground, often in a cemetery or churchyard.

Burial Certificate – The document issued by a registrar permitting a burial to take place.

Burial Fees – The fees charged by a Church or cemetery authority for the rights to a burial, plus the purchase and preparation of a grave.

Catafalque – A raised platform on which the coffin rests during the funeral service.

Celebrant – A person who leads a funeral service, either with or without religious elements.

Certificate for Burial or Cremation – Known as the green form, issued by the registrar to allow a funeral to take place.

Chapel of Rest – A place provided by a funeral director where families can view the deceased before the funeral.

Coffin – A container for the body, usually with a tapered shape.

Codicil – A formal legal amendment to an existing will.

Committal – The final part of a funeral when the coffin is lowered, curtains close, or ashes are scattered.

Coroner – A Council official who investigates deaths where the cause is unknown, or sudden.

Cortege – A funeral procession, usually involving cars following the hearse.

Cremation – The process of reducing a body to ashes at a crematorium.

Cremated Remains – The ashes left after a cremation.

Death Certificate – An official document issued when a death is registered, needed for legal and financial matters.

Direct Burial – A burial where there is no service

Direct Cremation – A simple cremation without a funeral service, ceremony, or mourners present. The ashes are returned to the family afterwards, allowing them to hold a separate memorial or farewell in their own way.

Directive – A general term for instructions about care, treatment, or wishes.

Disbursements – Third-party costs paid by a funeral director on your behalf, such as crematorium fees or clergy charges.

Embalming – A process to preserve and prepare the body for viewing or burial.

Estate – Everything a person owns at the time of death, including money, property, and belongings.

Eulogy – A speech or tribute about a person’s life, often given at a funeral.

Executor – The person named in a will to carry out instructions and manage the estate.

Exhumation – The lawful removal of a body from its place of burial.

Funeral Director – A professional who arranges and oversees funeral services.

Funeral Plan – A funeral paid for well in advance of death to give certainty on prices and cover some or all of the costs.

Grant of Letters of Administration – A legal document giving an administrator authority to manage an estate when there is no will.

Grant of Probate – A legal document confirming an executor’s authority to act on behalf of the estate.

Grave – A place in a cemetery where a body is buried.

Green form – Certificate for Burial or Cremation issued by the registrar to allow a funeral to take place.

Headstone – A memorial stone placed at a grave.

Hearse – A vehicle used to transport the coffin to the funeral service and burial or cremation site.

Humanist – A person who conducts non-religious funeral ceremonies, focusing on celebrating the life of the deceased through personal stories, readings, and tributes rather than faith-based traditions.

Inheritance Tax – A tax payable on estates above the UK threshold, with allowances and exemptions.

Inquest – An inquiry held by a coroner into certain deaths, such as those that are sudden or unexplained.

Internment – Another way of saying a burial.

Intestate – When someone dies without leaving a valid will.

Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) – A legal document allowing one or more people to make decisions for you if you lose mental capacity.

Legacy – A gift of money or property left in a will.

Letter of Wishes – A non-binding document that can accompany a will or trust to guide executors or trustees.

Limousine – A chauffeur-driven car provided by the funeral director to transport close family or mourners as part of the funeral cortege. 

Living Will – Another name for an Advance Decision.

Memorial – A lasting tribute such as a plaque, headstone, or bench.

Memorial Service – A ceremony to remember someone’s life, often held without the body or ashes present.

Mortuary – A place where bodies are kept before burial or cremation.

Mourner – A person attending a funeral to pay their respects.

NAFD – The National Association of Funeral Directors, the UK’s largest trade association for funeral firms. It sets professional standards, provides training, and represents the industry at a national level.

Natural Funeral – A funeral that focuses on simplicity and environmental sustainability. It may involve biodegradable coffins, minimal embalming, and burial in natural settings, avoiding materials or practices that harm the environment.

Next of Kin – The nearest living relative. Widely used but carries no automatic legal rights in the UK.

Obituary – A public notice of death, often in newspapers or online.

Order of Service – A printed booklet or sheet handed out at a funeral, outlining the structure of the ceremony. It usually includes hymns, readings, music, and tributes, and often features photographs or a short biography of the deceased.

Pallbearer – Someone who carries or escorts the coffin at a funeral.

Personal Representative – A general term covering executors or administrators of an estate.

Power of Attorney – A legal authority for someone to act on another’s behalf, either lasting or limited.

Prepaid Funeral Plan – A regulated product that lets you pay in advance for funeral services.

Probate – The legal process of proving a will is valid and distributing the estate.

Probate Registry – The government office that issues Grants of Probate and Letters of Administration.

Procurator Fiscal – The name for a Coroner in Scotland

Registrar – An official who records births, deaths, and marriages, and issues the paperwork for funerals.

Repatriation – Arranging for a person’s body or ashes to be returned to their home country.

Residue – What is left of an estate after debts, taxes, and gifts have been distributed.

SAIF – The National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors, a UK trade association supporting independent, family-owned funeral firms. It promotes high standards of care and offers guidance for both members and the public.

Scattering – The act of releasing ashes in a chosen place.

Scatter tube – A container to help the bereaved scatter ashes.

Solicitor – A legal professional who can advise on wills, probate, and power of attorney.

Testator – A person who makes a valid will.

The Farewell Guide – An online planning tool where you can record funeral wishes, personal details, and important documents, easing the burden on loved ones.

Trust – A legal arrangement where assets are managed by trustees for beneficiaries.

Trustee – A person or organisation responsible for managing assets placed in a trust.

Unattended funeral – A funeral where no mourners attend.

Urn – A container used to hold cremated remains.

Wake – A social gathering after a funeral where people share memories.

Will – A legal document setting out how you want your estate to be distributed after your death.

Witness – A person who signs a will to confirm they saw the testator sign it.

Woodland Funeral – A type of natural funeral held in a designated woodland or natural burial ground. The body is buried in a biodegradable coffin or shroud, and graves are often marked with trees, plants, or simple plaques instead of traditional headstones.

Understanding these terms makes it easier to navigate the practical and legal steps involved in funerals, wills, and planning for the future. By preparing early and recording your wishes, you can bring peace of mind to yourself and reduce stress for your family.

Using The Farewell Guide is a simple way to make sure your choices are clearly documented and accessible when they are most needed.