ashes

¹

/ ˈæʃɪz /

plural noun

1. ruins or remains, as after destruction or burning

   the city was left in ashes

2. the remains of a human body after cremation

Ashes

²

/ ˈæʃɪz /

plural noun

1. a cremated cricket stump in a pottery urn now preserved at Lord's. Victory or defeat in test matches between England and Australia is referred to as winning, losing, or retaining the Ashes

Word History and Origins

Origin of ashes¹

from the mock obituary of English cricket in The Times in 1882 after a great Australian victory at the Oval, in which it was said that the body would be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia

Example Sentences

In a statement read to the court, Lisa Lloyd said Chloe Robinson had been in the media, claiming her baby's ashes had been stolen in a burglary - a claim which was untrue.

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She wrote she would prefer to be cremated with no funeral service, which is partly why everyone assumed for decades she had her ashes scattered.

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America has risen from the ashes of many crises in the past, but the crises of this century, our dismal fiscal situation and the concentration of market power suggest that we don’t have much time.

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“I’m at a place now where I feel like, in a way, it’s sort of a phoenix situation,” Hollis said about his post-fire rise from the ashes.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Wood frames are rising from the ashes of burned-out lots in Pacific Palisades, signaling the start of a new era for the fire-torn community.

Read more on Los Angeles Times