deadhouse

D2E1A1D2H4O1U1S1E1

noun

A place for the temporary reception and storage of dead human bodies; a mortuary.

First used 18th c.Scrabble 14
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

noundeadhouse (plural deadhouses)

plural deadhouses

  1. KenyaSouth AsiaA place for the temporary reception and storage of dead human bodies; a mortuary.First known use 18th c.

    Our Lady's Hospice for the dying. Deadhouse handy underneath.

    1922 February 2, James Joyce, “[Episode 6: Hades]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company […], →OCLC, part II [Odyssey], page 94
  2. AustraliaNew ZealandhistoricalA room or building behind a bar (drinking establishment) where excessively drunk customers may be taken to sober up.First known use 19th c.

Origin

From dead + house.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

deadhouse. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/deadhouse

MLA

“deadhouse.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/deadhouse. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “deadhouse,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/deadhouse.

Source: deadhouse on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.