Interment
The act of placing remains in their final resting place — burial in the ground, or placement in a crypt or niche. Placing cremated remains specifically is called inurnment.
Interment is the umbrella word for the final placement of a body or remains. Ground burial, entombment in a mausoleum crypt, and placement of an urn in a columbarium niche are all forms of interment. Cemeteries usually charge an opening-and-closing or interment fee separate from the plot itself.
You will see the word on cemetery contracts and price lists. “Inurnment” is the narrower term for interring cremated remains; “entombment” refers to placement in an above-ground crypt.
- Cemetery plot— The piece of ground you buy for a burial. Paid to the cemetery, entirely separate from funeral-home charges.
- Mausoleum— An above-ground building that holds caskets in sealed chambers called crypts. An alternative to in-ground burial.
- Columbarium— A structure with small niches for holding urns. Found in cemeteries and inside some places of worship. The cremation equivalent of a burial plot.
This definition is general consumer information, not legal, medical, or financial advice. Industry practices and regulations change occasionally; verify before relying on anything here for a specific decision.
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