Cremation
/krɪˈmeɪ.ʃən/noun
The act of burning a dead body to ashes, typically as part of a funeral rite.
Did you know?In ancient cultures, cremation was believed to free the soul from the physical body, allowing for a quicker journey to the afterlife, entwined with spiritual rebirth themes.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*krem-
“to burn”
Latin
Latin
cremare
“to burn up, consume by fire”
Old French
Old French
cremation
“burning, especially in the context of the dead”
14th Century
Middle English
cremacioun
“the act of burning a body or the state of being burned”
Modern English
English
cremation
“the process of reducing a body to ashes by fire”