Cremate
/ˈkriː.meɪt/noun
To burn a dead body, especially as part of a funeral rite.
Did you know?The root of 'cremate' comes from the Latin 'cremāre', meaning 'to burn', which in ancient rituals symbolized the release of the spirit from the physical body.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kreː-
“to burn, to consume”
Latin
Latin
cremāre
“to burn up, to consume by fire”
Old French
Old French
cremer
“to burn, to set on fire”
Middle English
Middle English
crematen
“to burn, especially a body”
Modern English
English
cremate
“to dispose of a body by burning as a funeral practice”