incinerate

[in-sin-uh-reyt]

See more synonyms for incinerate on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), in·cin·er·at·ed, in·cin·er·at·ing.

to burn or reduce to ashes; cremate.

Origin of incinerate

1545–55; < Medieval Latin incinerātus (past participle of incinerāre) < Latin in- in-² + ciner- (stem of cinis) ashes + -ātus -ate¹

Related formsin·cin·er·a·tion, nounun·in·cin·er·at·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for incinerate

ignite, torch, cremate, consume, scorch, scald, light, burn, parch, combust, flame, blaze

Examples from the Web for incinerate

Historical Examples of incinerate

Also, we incinerate our victims—again, with full governmental permission.
This Crowded Earth
Robert Bloch
To incinerate is to reduce to ashes; the sense differs little from that of cremate, but it is in less popular use.
English Synonyms and Antonyms
James Champlin Fernald
The soldiers, under the partial protection of the turn, could incinerate the helpless technies with little danger to themselves.
Astounding Stories, August, 1931
Various
The Uaupes in the Amazons incinerate a corpse a month after death, pound up the ashes, and mix them with their fermented drink.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3
Various
Encountering another globe, our sun would doubtless produce so much heat as to incinerate all planetary life.
Woman and Womanhood
C. W. Saleeby

British Dictionary definitions for incinerate

incinerate

verb

to burn up completely; reduce to ashes

Derived Formsincineration, noun

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

Word Origin and History for 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.