Death Dictionary: Over 5,500 Clinical, Legal, Literary and Vernacular Terms

by Christine Quigley (editor)

From police jargon to medical terminology, from the coarse language of death row to literary euphemisms, over 5,550 words and terms associated directly with death and dying are defined in this unique dictionary. The entries have been collected from 65 cultures, nine religions and 20 fields of study, including archeology, cryonics, theology, theater and the military. Definitions are identified (e.g., archaic, obsolete, slang) and, when appropriate, the occupation it is most closely connected to and variants of the expression are provided. The appended thesaurus gives commonly used words and the terms that are synonymous with them.

Genres: Death

207 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1993

About the author

Chris Quigley has been reviewing morbid books since receiving an MA in 2007 from Georgetown University, where she has worked since 1986. As of June 2009, she is on long-term disability leave. She delivered the keynote address at the first Museum of Funeral Customs symposium (Springfield, Illinois), consulted with the producers of the National Geographic Channel’s Mummy Road Show, and authored five morbid books of her own - Death Dictionary, The Corpse, Modern Mummies, Skulls and Skeletons, and Conjoined Twins - all published by McFarland & Co.

Reviews

[Juliana · Rating 4 out of 5]

really interesting and comprehensive collection of words! I only wish there was more information for each definition, particularly for idioms and words from other languages.