Leichenhaus

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English

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Etymology

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Borrowed from German Leichenhaus, from Leiche (corpse) +‎ -n- +‎ Haus (house).

Noun

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Leichenhaus (plural Leichenhauses)

  1. (historical) A heated space with an attendant, where dead bodies were kept until they showed signs of decomposition, ensuring that a live person would not be buried; a waiting mortuary.
    • 1894, Thomas Bailey Aldrich, From Ponkapog to Pesth, page 35:
      The Leichenhaus is comprised of three large chambers or salons, in which the dead are placed upon raised couches and surrounded by flowers.
    • 2007, John Klima, Jeff VanderMeer, Elizabeth Hand, Logorrhea: Good Words Make Good Stories, page 57:
      “Welcome to the Hillmont Leichenhaus,” said the attendant in a tired monotone. “Our Leichenhaus was built by the Society for the Prevention of Premature Burial, Hillmont branch. [] "
    • 2019, Caitlin Doughty, Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs: Big questions from tiny mortals about death, page 42:
      Just be glad you're not an attendant at the Liechenhaus.

German

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Etymology

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Leiche (corpse) +‎ -n- +‎ Haus (house)

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈlaɪ̯çn̩ˌhaʊ̯s/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Hyphenation: Lei‧chen‧haus

Noun

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Leichenhaus n (strong, genitive Leichenhauses, plural Leichenhäuser)

  1. morgue, mortuary
    Synonym: Leichenhalle

Declension

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Further reading

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