verb

incinerate

in-SIN-uh-rayt/ɪnˈsɪnəreɪt/

To burn something completely to ashes.

The flames incinerate the paper, leaving only fine gray ash.

A clear three-stage sequence shows plain paper in a shallow fireproof tray, the same paper being consumed by flames, and finally only fine gray ash in the tray, making complete destruction by burning visible.

Etymology

inLatininto

+cinerLatinash

+ateLatinpast-participle ending

The pieces express a change ‘into ashes’: the word names burning by its result. To incinerate something is to reduce it to ash, not merely expose it to heat.

In context

B&L Cremation Systems Inc.2:02

… the body will incinerate for about two hours at a temperature that can reach over a thousand degrees celsius

What Happens During a Cremation? How do Crematories Work? A Scientific Look at a Real Cremation.

More examples

The fire incinerated the dry papers.
Workers sent the contaminated material away to be incinerated.
The furnace was designed to incinerate the remaining scraps.

Forms

incinerate · incinerates · incinerated · incinerating

incineration noun — destruction by burning

Similar words

burn: Burn is general; incinerate reduces material to ashes.
cremate: Cremate specifically burns a dead body; incinerate applies to many materials.