funeral

funeral
    n 1: a ceremony at which a dead person is buried or cremated;
         "hundreds of people attended his funeral"
    

Funeral \Fu"ner*al\, a. [LL. funeralis. See {Funeral}, n.]
   Pertaining to a funeral; used at the interment of the dead;
   as, funeral rites, honors, or ceremonies. --Shak.
   [1913 Webster]

   {Funeral pile} or {Funeral pyre}, a structure of combustible
      material, upon which a dead body is placed to be reduced
      to ashes, as part of a funeral rite; a pyre. --
      {Fu"ner*al*ly}, adv. [Obs.] --Sir T. Browne.
      [1913 Webster]
    

Funeral \Fu"ner*al\ (f[=u]"n[~e]r*al), n. [LL. funeralia, prop.
   neut. pl. of funeralis of a funeral, fr. L. funus, funeris,
   funeral: cf. F. fun['e]railles.]
   1. The solemn rites used in the disposition of a dead human
      body, whether such disposition be by interment, burning,
      or otherwise; esp., the ceremony or solemnization of
      interment; obsequies; burial; -- formerly used in the
      plural.
      [1913 Webster]

            King James his funerals were performed very solemnly
            in the collegiate church at Westminster. --Euller.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. The procession attending the burial of the dead; the show
      and accompaniments of an interment. "The long funerals."
      --Pope.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. A funeral sermon; -- usually in the plural. [Obs.]
      [1913 Webster]

            Mr. Giles Lawrence preached his funerals. --South.
      [1913 Webster]
    

FUNERAL, n.  A pageant whereby we attest our respect for the dead by
enriching the undertaker, and strengthen our grief by an expenditure
that deepens our groans and doubles our tears.

    The savage dies -- they sacrifice a horse
    To bear to happy hunting-grounds the corse.
    Our friends expire -- we make the money fly
    In hope their souls will chase it to the sky.
                                                            Jex Wopley
    

Funeral
Burying was among the Jews the only mode of disposing of corpses
(Gen. 23:19; 25:9; 35:8, 9, etc.).

  The first traces of burning the dead are found in 1 Sam.
31:12. The burning of the body was affixed by the law of Moses
as a penalty to certain crimes (Lev. 20:14; 21:9).

  To leave the dead unburied was regarded with horror (1 Kings
13:22; 14:11; 16:4; 21:24, etc.).

  In the earliest times of which we have record kinsmen carried
their dead to the grave (Gen. 25:9; 35:29; Judg. 16:31), but in
later times this was done by others (Amos 6:16).

  Immediately after decease the body was washed, and then
wrapped in a large cloth (Acts 9:37; Matt. 27:59; Mark 15:46).
In the case of persons of distinction, aromatics were laid on
the folds of the cloth (John 19:39; comp. John 12:7).

  As a rule the burial (q.v.) took place on the very day of the
death (Acts 5:6, 10), and the body was removed to the grave in
an open coffin or on a bier (Luke 7:14). After the burial a
funeral meal was usually given (2 Sam. 3:35; Jer. 16:5, 7; Hos.
9:4).
    

54 Moby Thesaurus words for "funeral":
      burial, burial at sea, burying, caravan, cavalcade, cinerary,
      column, cortege, cremation, dead march, deep six, dirge, dirgelike,
      dismal, dress parade, entombment, epitaphic, exequial, exequies,
      feral, flyover, funebrial, funebrious, funebrous,
      funeral procession, funerary, funereal, inhumation, interment,
      last post, line, march past, mortuary, motorcade, mournful,
      muffled drum, mule train, necrological, obituary, obsequial,
      obsequies, pack train, parade, pomp, procession, promenade, review,
      sepulchral, sepulture, skimmington, stream, string, taps, train