Definition

1. Noun:
   • The remains of a dead body after cremation: "Cremains" refers specifically to the ashes and bone fragments that are left after a human body has been cremated. It is a portmanteau of the words "cremated" and "remains."

Usage

• The word "cremains" is a formal and respectful term used primarily in the context of funeral services, legal documents, and discussions about post-death arrangements. It distinguishes the specific result of cremation from other types of remains (e.g., a buried body).

Examples

• Noun:
  • The family decided to scatter the cremains at sea.
  • The funeral home provided an urn for the cremains.
  • According to her will, her cremains are to be placed in the family mausoleum.

Advanced Usage

• Legal and Formal Contexts: The term is often used in wills, contracts with funeral homes, and on official certificates of cremation.
  • The document specified the exact location for the interment of the cremains.

Variants and Related Words

• Ashes: A more common, informal synonym for "cremains." While often used interchangeably, "ashes" can be less specific.
• Cremated remains: A longer, more descriptive phrase with the same meaning as "cremains."

Synonyms

• Ashes: The powdery residue left after the burning of a substance, commonly used to refer to cremains.
• Cremated remains: The full, descriptive term for what is left after cremation.

Notes

• "Cremains" is always used in the plural form, similar to "remains." You would not say "a cremain."
• The term helps provide clarity and dignity in sensitive discussions, avoiding the more casual or potentially ambiguous term "ashes."

Noun

1. the remains of a dead body after cremation