Glossary
Here is a jargon-free guide to terminology you may encounter. Our glossary breaks down everything you need to know; we hope you find it useful.
To support you, we’ve created this glossary to explain some common terms and procedures in plain, straightforward English.
Navigating the practicalities of a funeral can feel overwhelming, especially during a time of personal loss. We understand that the language used in funeral planning is often unfamiliar and can add unnecessary stress when you are simply looking for clarity and peace of mind. Whether you are making arrangements for a loved one or planning for the future, our goal is to provide the knowledge you need to make informed decisions with confidence and ease.
Funeral Plans and Arrangements
Celebrant
A person who leads a funeral or memorial service. The ceremony may be religious or non-religious and is often personalised to reflect the life of the person who has died.
Committal Service
The final part of a funeral, when the coffin is buried or committed for cremation.
Cortege
The procession of funeral vehicles carrying the coffin and mourners to the funeral service.
Eulogy
A speech or tribute given at a funeral or memorial service to remember and celebrate the life of the person who has died.
Funeral Director
A professional who helps families arrange and manage a funeral, including the care and transportation of the person who has died.
Funeral Plan
An arrangement purchased in advance to cover some or all of the services and costs associated with a funeral.
Funeral Plan Provider
A company authorised to provide and administer prepaid funeral plans.
Funeral Plan Search
A search carried out to establish whether someone who has died purchased or was covered by a funeral plan.
Funeral Wishes
A person’s preferences for their funeral, such as whether they would like a burial or cremation, the type of service they want, and any music, readings or personal requests they would like included.
Green or Natural Funeral
A funeral designed to reduce its environmental impact, often using biodegradable materials and a natural or woodland burial site.
Joint Funeral Plan
A funeral plan connected to two people, usually a couple. The way the plan operates and who it covers will depend on its specific terms.
Pallbearer
A person who helps carry or guide the coffin during a funeral.
Plan Adviser
A person who provides information and guidance to someone considering or arranging a funeral plan.
Prepaid Funeral Plan
Another term for a funeral plan purchased before death, allowing specified funeral services to be paid for in advance.
Register a Funeral Plan
The process of adding the details of an existing funeral plan to the Funeral Plan Register so it can be located more easily when it is needed.
Search for a Funeral Plan
A search carried out through the Funeral Plan Register to find out whether a person who has died had a registered funeral plan.
The Funeral Plan Register
A nationwide register designed to help individuals and families locate registered funeral plans when they are needed.
Wake
A gathering held before or after a funeral where family and friends come together to remember the person who has died and support one another.
Death Registration and Coroner Terms
Cause of Death
The medical reason why a person died, as recorded through the death-certification process.
Coroner
An independent judicial office holder who investigates certain deaths, including those that may have been violent or unnatural, where the cause is unknown, or where the person died in state detention.
Coroner’s Officer
A person who supports the coroner by gathering information, contacting families and helping manage an investigation.
Coroner’s Report
A general term sometimes used for information or findings produced following a coroner’s investigation. Depending on the circumstances, the official documents may instead include an interim death certificate, post-mortem report, inquest record or written conclusion.
Death Certificate
An official certified copy of the death entry held by the register office. It may be needed when dealing with banks, insurers, pensions, property and the deceased’s estate.
Inquest
A public legal investigation led by a coroner to establish who died and how, when and where the death occurred. An inquest does not decide criminal or civil liability.
Interim Death Certificate
A document issued by a coroner that provides evidence of death while an inquest is still ongoing. It may be used for matters such as applying for probate and notifying organisations.
Medical Certificate of Cause of Death
The medical document containing the cause of death information needed for the death to be registered. It is different from the death certificate issued following registration.
Medical Examiner
An independent senior doctor who reviews the proposed cause of death in cases that are not investigated by a coroner and provides an opportunity for the bereaved to raise questions or concerns.
Post-Mortem Examination
A medical examination carried out after death to help establish the cause of death.
Registering a Death
The formal process of recording a death with the local register office once the required medical examiner or coroner documentation has been completed.
Registrar
An official responsible for formally registering births, deaths and marriages and issuing the relevant certificates.
Tell Us Once
A government service that allows a death to be reported to several government departments and public bodies at the same time.
Administrative and Legal Terms
Administrator
The person legally authorised to manage an estate when there is no valid Will, no executor is able or willing to act, or no executor was appointed.
Asset
Anything of financial or personal value owned by the person who died, including money, property, investments, vehicles and possessions.
Beneficiary
A person or organisation entitled to receive money, property or another benefit from an estate, Will, trust, insurance policy or funeral plan.
Codicil
A legal document used to make an addition or amendment to an existing Will.
Debt
Money owed by the person who died or by their estate, which may need to be paid before the remaining estate can be distributed.
Estate
Everything owned by a person when they die, including their money, property and possessions, less any debts and liabilities.
Executor
The person named in a Will to manage the estate and carry out the instructions contained in the Will.
Grant of Probate
The legal document issued to an executor confirming their authority to deal with the estate of someone who left a valid Will.
Inheritance Tax
A tax that may be payable on an estate depending on its value, the available allowances and who inherits the assets.
Intestate
The legal term used when someone dies without leaving a valid Will.
Letters of Administration
The legal document that gives an administrator authority to manage an estate where a Grant of Probate cannot be issued.
Next of Kin
A person’s closest living relative. Being next of kin does not, by itself, always give someone legal authority to manage the deceased’s estate.
Personal Representative
The general legal term for the person responsible for administering an estate. This may be an executor or an administrator.
Probate
The legal process of confirming who has authority to administer an estate. The term is also commonly used more broadly to describe the process of dealing with someone’s estate after death.
Probate Solicitor
A legal professional who advises on Wills, probate, inheritance and the administration of an estate.
Will
A legal document setting out how a person wants their estate to be distributed after their
death and usually naming the executor or executors responsible for carrying this out.
Financial Terms
Bereavement Support Payment
A government benefit that may be available to an eligible surviving spouse, civil partner or cohabiting partner following a death.
Funeral Expenses
The reasonable costs associated with arranging a funeral, which may be covered by a funeral plan, paid by the person arranging the funeral or, where funds are available, paid or reimbursed from the estate.
Funeral Expenses Payment
A government payment that may help eligible people receiving certain benefits with some funeral costs.
Plan Benefits
The funeral services, products or financial contributions included within a funeral plan, as set out in its terms and conditions.
Grief and Bereavement Terms
Bereavement
The experience and period of adjustment following the death of someone important to you.
Bereavement Counsellor
A trained professional who supports people experiencing grief and helps them explore their feelings, experiences and ways of coping.
Bereavement Support
Emotional or practical help provided following a death. This may include listening support, counselling, information, support groups and guidance with practical matters.
Grief
The emotional, physical and psychological response to a loss. Everyone experiences grief differently, and there is no single correct way or timescale in which to grieve.
Grief Counselling
Professional or trained support that gives a grieving person a safe space to talk about the person who died, understand their emotions and develop ways of coping.
Mourning
The outward expression of grief, which may be influenced by personal, cultural, family or religious traditions.
Sudden Bereavement
Grief following an unexpected death, which may involve additional shock, trauma, unanswered questions or legal processes.
Bereavement Support Organisations
Brake
A UK road-safety charity that supports people who have been bereaved or seriously injured following a road crash. Its National Road Victim Service provides practical and emotional support, information and guidance.
Cruse Bereavement Support
A charity providing bereavement information and support to people across England, Wales and Northern Ireland through trained volunteers, local services, a helpline and one-to-one support.
Support Group
A group in which people with similar experiences of bereavement can share their feelings, listen to others and receive mutual support.
This glossary provides general information only. Legal, administrative and death-registration procedures may differ across the UK and depending on individual circumstances. It should not be treated as legal, financial or professional advice.
Search & Register
Get started
By choosing one of the options below we can help you find the funeral plan of a loved one or register a plan so that it will never be overlooked. Plan Ahead. Reduce Stress Later.
Search for a Funeral Plan
Our service helps identify whether a plan exists and who holds it.
Register a Funeral Plan
Registering ensures your plan is not forgotten and helps your family access it when needed.