fu·ner·al (fyū'nər-əl)
n.

1. 1. A ceremony or group of ceremonies held in connection with the burial or cremation of a dead person.
   2. Archaic. The eulogy delivered or the sermon preached at such a ceremony.
2. The burial procession accompanying a body to the grave.
3. An end or a cessation of existence.
4. Slang. A source of concern or care: If he doesn't meet the deadline, it's his funeral.

adj.
Of, relating to, or resembling a funeral.

[Middle English funerelles, funeral rites, from Old French funerailles, from Medieval Latin fūnerālia, neuter pl. of fūnerālis, funereal, from Late Latin, from Latin fūnus, fūner-, death rites.]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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