What does cremate mean?
"Cremate" is a transitive verb meaning to dispose of a dead body by burning it until only ashes remain, most often in a specially designed furnace at a crematorium. It is the standard term for this funeral practice, which serves as an alternative to burial and has grown increasingly common in many parts of the world. The word carries a formal, somber register: people speak of having a loved one cremated, of cremated remains, or of choosing cremation over interment. Beyond its literal mortuary sense, the verb occasionally appears in figurative contexts, where to be "cremated" means to be utterly destroyed or decisively defeated, though such uses are informal and comparatively rare. Derived forms include the noun "cremation," the facility noun "crematorium" (or "crematory"), and the adjective-like participles "cremated" and "cremating." The word derives from the Latin cremare, "to burn," and entered English in the seventeenth century, giving it ancient roots despite the modern practice it names.
verbTo dispose of a dead body by burning it to ashes, typically in a crematorium as an alternative to burial.
- To dispose of a dead human body by burning it to ashes.
- (Less common) To destroy something completely by burning.
"In accordance with her wishes, the family chose to cremate her rather than bury her."
"Her remains were cremated at the local crematorium after a private ceremony."
"Critics said the new tax policy would cremate small businesses."
The word traces straight back to Latin cremare, meaning simply 'to burn' — the Romans were cremating their dead two thousand years ago.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cremate
Cremate comes from the Latin verb cremare, meaning "to burn" or "to consume by fire." It was borrowed into English in the early seventeenth century, initially in learned or technical contexts. Its most prominent relatives in English are cremation, crematorium, and crematory, all built on the same Latin root. The broader Latin family connects it distantly to other fire-related vocabulary, though its closest English kin remain the cremation terms.
Related word forms
How cremate is actually used
Formal and clinical in register; almost always used in the context of funerals and mortuary practice. The extended figurative use ('to cremate' an opponent or policy) exists but is relatively rare and informal.
Easily confused with cremate
"Create" means to bring something into existence, while "cremate" means to burn a corpse to ashes — they differ by only one letter but are entirely unrelated in meaning.