Definition

1. Verb:
   • To reduce a dead body to ashes by burning it, typically in a crematorium: The formal process of disposing of human remains through combustion and oxidation.
   • To burn something completely: In a broader, less common sense, to burn any material until it is reduced to ashes.

Usage

• The verb "cremate" is a transitive verb, requiring a direct object (e.g., a body, remains).
• It is most commonly used in the passive voice ("was cremated") when referring to the standard funeral practice.
• The process is called cremation, and the resulting ashes are called cremains or ashes.

Examples

• Verb:
  • According to his wishes, his body was cremated and the ashes scattered at sea.
  • The family decided to cremate the remains rather than have a burial.
  • (Less common) The intense heat of the furnace cremated the waste materials.

Advanced Usage

• "To be cremated": The standard passive construction describing the fate of the deceased.
  • She requested to be cremated without any ceremony.
• Cremated remains: The formal term for the ashes after cremation.
  • The cremated remains were placed in an urn.

Variants and Related Words

• Cremation (n): The act or process of cremating a body.
  • Cremation is becoming a more common choice than traditional burial.
• Crematory / Crematorium (n): A furnace or building where cremations are performed.
  • The service was held at the crematorium.
• Cremains (n, plural): A portmanteau of "cremated" and "remains"; the ashes of a cremated body.
  • They buried the cremains in the family plot.

Synonyms

• Incinerate: To destroy something, especially waste material, by burning. (Note: "Incinerate" is more general and often used for objects/trash, while "cremate" is specific to human or animal remains.)
  • Medical waste must be safely incinerated.

Antonyms

• Bury: To place a corpse in the ground, typically in a coffin.
  • They chose to bury their grandfather in the old cemetery.
• Inter: A more formal synonym for bury.
  • The soldiers were interred with full military honors.

Related Phrases

• Direct cremation: A cremation performed shortly after death, without a preceding funeral service.
  • They opted for a direct cremation to keep costs low.

Verb

1. reduce to ashes
   • Cremate a corpse