thanatology
Study of dying
Thanatology is the scholarly study of death, dying, and bereavement.
The field examines medical, psychological, social, and ethical aspects of how people face mortality—from end-of-life care and grief counseling to funeral practices and cultural attitudes toward death.
She studied thanatology before becoming a hospice counselor.
Someone who works in this field is a thanatologist.
Medical examination after death
- cadaverBody for dissection
- decompositionBreakdown into simpler parts
- forensicsScientific crime-scene analysis
- postmortemExamination after death
toxicology · necropsy · coroner · putrefaction · exhumation
Period following loss
- funeralService honoring the dead
- eulogyTribute for the dead
- wakePath left in water
- memorialThing preserving remembrance
condolence · remembrance · inheritance · widow · widower · orphan · legacy · executor
Preserving dead bodies chemically
- cremationBurning the deceased
- burialPlacing deceased underground
- casketBurial container
- coffinBurial container for remains
urn · mausoleum · crypt · headstone · epitaph · mortician · mortuary · cemetery
Offering relief, not remedy
- hospiceTerminal illness comfort program
- dyingCeasing to live
- brain-deadIrreversibly without consciousness
- DNREnd-of-life medical directive
Soul's rebirth after death
- heavenSky or bliss
- hellUnderworld of suffering
- purgatoryPlace of temporary suffering
- limboState of uncertain waiting
karma · samsara · nirvana · resurrection · soul · spirit · ancestors · transcendence
Total existence duration
- finiteHaving definite bounds
- impermanenceQuality of not lasting
- transienceBrevity of existence
- ephemeralLasting very briefly
mortal · fleeting · aging · senescence · existential · demise · fatality · actuarial
Deep emotional distress
- heartacheDeep emotional distress
- anguishIntense mental suffering
- desolationState of complete emptiness
- lamentationPassionate expression of grief
bereft · despair · grieving · tears · heartbreak · loneliness · bereavement · keening
autopsy
Medical examination after death
- cadaverBody for dissection
- decompositionBreakdown into simpler parts
- forensicsScientific crime-scene analysis
postmortem · toxicology · necropsy · coroner · putrefaction · exhumation
mourning
Period following loss
memorial · condolence · remembrance · inheritance · widow · widower · orphan · legacy · executor · bequest
embalming
Preserving dead bodies chemically
coffin · urn · mausoleum · crypt · headstone · epitaph · mortician · mortuary · cemetery · columbarium
palliative
Offering relief, not remedy
- hospiceTerminal illness comfort program
- dyingCeasing to live
- brain-deadIrreversibly without consciousness
reincarnation
Soul's rebirth after death
limbo · karma · samsara · nirvana · resurrection · soul · spirit · ancestors · transcendence · judgment
lifespan
Total existence duration
- finiteHaving definite bounds
- impermanenceQuality of not lasting
- transienceBrevity of existence
ephemeral · mortal · fleeting · aging · senescence · existential · demise · fatality · actuarial
sorrow
Deep emotional distress
- heartacheDeep emotional distress
- anguishIntense mental suffering
- desolationState of complete emptiness
lamentation · bereft · despair · grieving · tears · heartbreak · loneliness · bereavement · keening · wailing
thanatologyobstetrics
Childbirth medicine branch
midwifery · perinatology · embryology · vitalism · life sciences
thanatologygerontology
Scientific study of senescence
neonatology · pediatrics · embryology · developmental psychology · child development