Morgue

A morgue or mortuary is a building or room (as in a hospital) used for the storage of human remains.

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Morgue is predominately used in American English, whilst mortuary is more common in British English. It originally referred to a building in Paris, France, the Morgue, where bodies were kept until identified. The term morgue is derived from French morguer, to look at solemnly, to defy. The term was first used to describe the inner wicket of a prison, where prisoners were kept for some time, that the jailers and turnkeys might view them at their leisure, so as to be able to recognize them when occasion required. Relating to dead people, the name was first given to a building in Paris which in the middle of the fifth century was part of the Châtelet and was used for the keeping and identification of unknown corpses.

Related Topics:
American English - British English - Paris, France - French - Prison - Paris - Châtelet

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Probably because it is in a sense where the "dead bodies" are kept, the term morgue is also used in the USA to refer to the room where newspaper or magazine publishers keep their back issues and other historical references.

Related Topics:
USA - Newspaper - Magazine - Publisher

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