incinerate
[ in-sin-uh-reyt ]
/ ɪnˈsɪn əˌreɪt /
verb (used with object), in·cin·er·at·ed, in·cin·er·at·ing.
to burn or reduce to ashes; cremate.
RELATED CONTENT
Why Do “Flammable” And “Inflammable” Mean The Same Thing?English is a trickster of a language, evidenced by the fact that two words that appear to be antonyms can actually mean the exact same thing. For the most part we manage to bumble along without confusing the two, and can figure out which meaning is intended based on context (although in the case of regardless and irregardless some extra time is needed for teeth-gnashing). …
RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
- incidental music,
- incidental parasite,
- incidentally,
- incidentaloma,
- incienso,
- incineration,
- incinerator,
- incipience,
- incipiency,
- incipient
Origin of incinerate
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for incinerate
incinerate
/ (ɪnˈsɪnəˌreɪt) /
verb
to burn up completely; reduce to ashes
Word Origin for incinerate
C16: from Medieval Latin incinerāre, from Latin in- ² + cinis ashes
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
incinerate
1550s, from Medieval Latin incineratus "reduced to ashes," pp. of incinerare, from Latin in- "into" (see in- (2)) + cinis (genitive cineris) "ashes," from PIE root *keni- "dust, ashes" (cf. Greek konis "dust"). Used earlier in English as a past participle adjective meaning "reduced to ashes" (early 15c.). Related: Incinerated; incinerating.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper