Crematory
/ˈkrɛm.ə.tɔː.ri/noun
A place or device used for cremation, or relating to cremation.
Did you know?Its core comes from Latin cremare, so the word literally belongs to the long history of fire as both purifier and destroyer — a meaning that still feels almost ritualistic.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ker-
“to burn”
Latin
Latin
cremare
“to burn, consume by fire”
Late Latin
Latin
crematorius
“relating to burning or cremation”
17th Century
English
crematory
“relating to cremation; a place for burning the dead”
Modern English
English
crematory
“a crematorium or something connected with cremation”
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