incinerate

[in-sin-uh-reyt] /ɪnˈsɪn əˌreɪt/

verb (used with object), incinerated, incinerating.

to burn or reduce to ashes; cremate.

Origin

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

Related forms

incineration, noun

unincinerated, adjective

Examples from the web for incinerate

To incinerate some materials, extra fuel needs to be added.
Power and violence, a larger club or sharper sword, as if the ability to incinerate whole cities is an admirable pursuit.
Some recycling businesses will remove the steel frame and then landfill or incinerate the remaining parts of the mattress.
Used oil cannot be incinerated, except at a facility authorized to incinerate hazardous wastes.
incinerate at a facility that meets the conditional exclusion.

British Dictionary definitions for incinerate

incinerate

/ɪnˈsɪnəˌreɪt/

verb

to burn up completely; reduce to ashes

Derived Forms

incineration, noun

Word Origin

C16: from Medieval Latin incinerāre, from Latin in-² + cinis ashes

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.