Leichenhaus
English edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from German Leichenhaus, from Leiche (“corpse”) + -n- + Haus (“house”).
Noun edit
Leichenhaus (plural Leichenhauses)
- (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 edit
Etymology edit
Leiche (“corpse”) + -n- + Haus (“house”)
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
Leichenhaus n (strong, genitive Leichenhauses, plural Leichenhäuser)
- morgue, mortuary
- Synonym: Leichenhalle
Declension edit
Declension of Leichenhaus [neuter, strong]
singular | plural | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
indef. | def. | noun | def. | noun | |
nominative | ein | das | Leichenhaus | die | Leichenhäuser |
genitive | eines | des | Leichenhauses | der | Leichenhäuser |
dative | einem | dem | Leichenhaus, Leichenhause1 | den | Leichenhäusern |
accusative | ein | das | Leichenhaus | die | Leichenhäuser |
1Now rare, see notes.
Further reading edit
- “Leichenhaus” in Duden online