If you have ever opened a cemetery contract or heard a funeral director use a word that sounded familiar but not quite clear, you are not alone. Funeral terminology can feel like a different language—especially once cremation enters the picture. The comforting part is that most of these words are describing one simple idea: where the remains will be placed, and what kind of space that placement happens in.
In plain English, interment is often the umbrella term. Inurnment usually points to an urn and a niche. Entombment typically means above-ground placement in a mausoleum or tomb. The details matter because these same words show up in paperwork, fees, and cemetery rules, and families can end up buying the wrong urn size or planning the wrong “type of placement” simply because the terminology was fuzzy.
To keep this simple and practical, we’ll walk through inurnment definition, interment definition, and entombment definition, then tie them to the spaces families actually choose: a grave, a mausoleum, or a columbarium niche. We’ll also include quick examples so you can recognize the right term when you see it on an authorization form.
Inurnment Definition
What does inurnment mean in everyday planning? It usually means placing cremated remains (in an urn) into a final location, most often a niche in a columbarium. Merriam-Webster defines inurnment as “placement or burial in an urn,” which captures the core idea: the urn is central to the term. You can see that definition directly on Merriam-Webster.
In real life, families most often use “inurnment” when the urn is being placed in a niche—especially in a cemetery columbarium. If you want a clear picture of what the day can look like (arriving, signing paperwork, walking to the niche, a short committal), Funeral.com’s guide Inurnment Meaning: What Happens at a Columbarium Inurnment Ceremony is written for families who want the process explained without jargon.
Interment Definition
Interment is often used as the broad, catch-all word for “final placement.” Merriam-Webster defines interment as “the act or ceremony of interring.” You can see that on Merriam-Webster. That definition is intentionally broad, and that broadness is exactly why cemeteries love the term: it can cover multiple types of placement.
Here is a concrete example of how official language uses it. In U.S. federal cemetery regulations, interment is defined to include burial or entombment of remains, and it explicitly includes placement of cremated remains in a columbarium niche. You can read that wording in the Code of Federal Regulations at 38 CFR § 38.600. This is why a cemetery contract might say “right of interment” even when what you are actually doing is inurnment in a niche.
In other words, families often ask about inurnment vs interment because both words can apply to cremation placement. “Inurnment” is the specific action of placing an urn (often into a niche). “Interment” is the umbrella term the cemetery may use to describe the final placement process and the legal/contractual rights associated with that space.
Entombment Definition
Entombment typically refers to placing remains above ground in a tomb or mausoleum, often in a crypt (for a casket) or a sealed space. Merriam-Webster defines entombment as “the act or process of entombing,” which it also treats as a form of burial. You can see that definition on Merriam-Webster.
Where families get tripped up is that mausoleums can sometimes include both crypts (for caskets) and niches (for urns). That means the building might be a mausoleum, but the act might still be described as inurnment if an urn is being placed into a niche. This is why entombment vs interment can feel confusing in conversation: interment is the broad umbrella, while entombment is a specific kind of above-ground placement.
Columbarium Meaning and the Mausoleum vs Columbarium Distinction
A columbarium is a structure built with niches designed to hold urns. The Federal Trade Commission’s consumer guide defines a columbarium as a structure with niches for placing cremated remains in urns or other approved containers, noting it may be outdoors or part of a mausoleum. You can see that definition in the FTC’s Funeral Terms resource. Merriam-Webster similarly defines a columbarium as a structure lined with recesses for cinerary urns, and it also uses the word “columbarium” to refer to a single recess (a niche). See Merriam-Webster’s definition.
So what is the difference in plain terms when families ask about mausoleum vs columbarium? A mausoleum is an above-ground burial building that often contains crypts (and sometimes niches). A columbarium is specifically designed for urn niches; it can be a standalone wall or courtyard, or it can be part of a mausoleum structure. If you want a quick, practical glossary of these related words in one place, Funeral.com’s funeral terms glossary is designed for exactly this moment—when you want the vocabulary to stop feeling intimidating.
Quick Examples: Which Word Applies to Which Scenario?
Sometimes the fastest way to understand these terms is to see them tied to real decisions families make. Here are a few examples that usually make the “translation” click.
| What the family is doing | Where it happens | Term you’ll likely see |
|---|---|---|
| Placing a casketed burial in the ground | Cemetery grave | Interment |
| Burying an urn in a cemetery grave or cremation plot | Cemetery ground burial | Interment (sometimes described as “interment of ashes”) |
| Placing an urn into a niche | Columbarium niche (sometimes within a mausoleum) | Inurnment (and also “interment” on many contracts) |
| Placing a casket into a crypt | Mausoleum crypt | Entombment |
| Placing an urn into a mausoleum niche | Mausoleum niche | Inurnment (within a mausoleum setting) |
It also helps to know that different organizations may use these words in slightly different ways in their own guides. For example, Arlington National Cemetery uses “inurnment” in its guidance for columbarium services and describes a niche as the designated space in the wall where the urn is placed for inurnment. You can see that usage directly in Arlington’s Columbarium Inurnment guide.
Why These Words Matter When You’re Choosing an Urn
Families rarely run into trouble because they used the “wrong word” in conversation. Trouble shows up when the wrong assumption leads to the wrong purchase or the wrong fit. Inurnment planning often involves a niche, and niches are famously particular about exterior dimensions. This is where families discover the difference between capacity (cubic inches inside) and measurements (height, width, depth outside).
If your plan is a columbarium placement, treat measurements as a first-class requirement, not an afterthought. Funeral.com’s guide Cemetery Urn Requirements explains what to ask before you buy, including niche size, whether an urn box is required, and what “door size” does (and does not) tell you.
When you start shopping, it can help to browse by the plan. If you are choosing a primary urn for placement or home display, start with cremation urns for ashes. If you are sharing small portions among family, keepsake urns are designed for that. If you are choosing a compact memorial or traveling with a portion, small cremation urns can be a better match than forcing a full-size urn into a situation it was not designed for.
And if your family is creating a blended plan—one central placement plus personal remembrance items—this is where cremation jewelry can quietly help. Many families place the primary urn in a niche or cemetery location, then keep a small symbolic portion in cremation jewelry or cremation necklaces so daily life still includes a sense of closeness, even after placement.
A Common Mix-Up: Interment vs Internment
One quick note, because it comes up constantly: “interment” and “internment” are not the same word. Interment is about burial or placement of remains. “Internment” is about confinement, most often in a historical or wartime context. If you see “internment” on a funeral document, it is almost always a typo.
How to Choose the Right Option When You’re Still Deciding
If you are still in the “we’re not sure yet” phase, you do not have to force a permanent decision immediately. Many families begin with keeping ashes at home while they evaluate cemetery options, family travel timelines, or whether a niche placement feels right. Others are considering a scattering ceremony or water burial and want time to choose the setting. The vocabulary matters here, too, because the same plan can be described differently depending on where it ends up.
A helpful way to think about it is this: your plan determines the place, and the place determines the term you’ll see. If you can answer “ground, niche, or mausoleum,” you will usually know whether you are dealing with interment, inurnment, or entombment. And if you cannot answer it yet, that is still a valid stage of planning—it just means your next best step is gathering requirements, not buying in a rush.
If you would like a broader planning overview that connects cremation placement options (ground burial, niches, urn gardens, memorial walls) to the questions you need to ask, Funeral.com’s guide Cremation Cemetery Memorial Options walks through the practical choices without assuming you already know the terminology.
The Bottom Line
Inurnment usually points to an urn being placed into a niche, often in a columbarium. Entombment usually points to above-ground placement in a mausoleum or tomb, often in a crypt. Interment is the broad umbrella term you’ll see on contracts and authorizations, and it can include both burial and above-ground placement—including urn placement in a niche, as federal cemetery regulations explicitly recognize. Once you know that, the words stop feeling mysterious, and your next steps become clearer: match the term to the destination, then match the urn to the requirements of that destination.
