Forum: ell.stackexchange.com
Tags: <word-usage><euphemism>
Title: Any alternatives for the verb "to bury"?
Question: I want to say "somebody was buried somewhere", to place (a corpse) in a grave.   But the word "bury" sometimes sounds rude or very technical to me. Am I right or is it very normal to use "bury". If it is not appropriate, can you tell me an alternative?

Answers:
sents: text: I think few would find the word "buried" rude.
text: It certainly isn't technical -- it's a very common word.
text: If you are talking about disposing of dead bodies in general, "buried" is probably the most common word for this idea.
text: As others have noted, "laid to rest" is sometimes used as a euphemism.
text: It is pretty much only used when speaking to the family or close friends of someone who has just died.
text: "Interred" is the technical term.
text: You almost never hear someone say this other than funeral directors and cases where someone wants to sound very formal and respectful.
text: I don't have a survey on this, but I think most people would say, "My mother is buried in Pennsylvania" and the like without a second though.
answer_details: author: ell.stackexchange.com/users/803/Jay
score: 20
sents: text: To bury is not rude or technical.
text: However, the use of euphemism is widespread when the subject is related to death, so to someone who is not used to confronting the reality head-on, simple matter-of-factness may seem harsh.
text: The use of euphemism can reflect solicitude.
text: But it can also become hollow and be just the opposite of solicitousness, for example when the death industry comes up with new and improved death-jargon.
text: http://www.dailyundertaker.com/2009/01/cremains-of-day-look-at-words-in.html
text: A minor change can remove the harshness for many people.
text: Instead of asking "When will he be buried?
text: " one can ask "When is the burial ?"
answer_details: author: ell.stackexchange.com/users/10264/Tᴚoɯɐuo
score: 10
sents: text: But the word "bury" sometimes sounds rude or very technical to me.
text: I agree, it could sound harsh to a grieving person or family of the deceased.
text: Try laid to rest .
answer_details: author: ell.stackexchange.com/users/5144/LawrenceC
score: 3
sents: text: A person who is buried with funereal rites is "interred".
text: That is probably the best verb for it, but it's also rather formal and some people might see it as archaic. "
text: Laid to rest" is more common in informal conversation.
text: The choice can be a little tricky, because some people will be uncomfortable using a more "technical" term like "buried" or "interred", but others (like me) are more uncomfortable with the more "sentimental" "laid to rest".
text: If you are talking to the family and friends of the deceased, I would use "laid to rest".
text: If you're talking about the general practice of burial of remains, or to people completely unassociated with the deceased, I would use "interred".
answer_details: author: ell.stackexchange.com/users/21816/TBridges42
score: 2
sents: text: Inhume is another rarely-used option, probably not appropriate for English language learners.
answer_details: author: ell.stackexchange.com/users/22049/NL - Apologize to Monica
score: 2

Summary of the answers:
Few people would find the word "buried" rude or technical. However, you could use "interred" or "laid to rest".
Bury is not rude or technical, though laid to rest and interred are alternatives.