cremation

noun

cre·​ma·​tion kri-ˈmā-shən 

plural cremations

1

a

: the process of reducing a dead body to mostly tiny bits of bone resembling ash that involves exposing the body to flame and intense heat followed by pulverization of bone fragments

… the pros and cons of burial versus cremation.

—Christopher Kimball

And while I do not conceive of an afterlife, I do conceive a strange, attenuated, out-of-the-body experience in which I'm somehow tenuously present at my burial or cremation.

—Rosemary Dinnage

… funeral directors say family traditions are changing, leading to an increase in cremation rates.

—Matthew Waite

This week the Vatican issued a directive not to scatter the ashes of loved ones after cremation, and instructed followers to only store them in places approved by the Church.

—Mandy Johnston

b

: alkaline hydrolysis

—usually used following an adjective or an attributive noun

The reason why flameless cremation or cremation using alkaline hydrolysis is better is that it releases 50 kgs of carbon. If you opt for the traditional method of cremation, close to 250 kgs of carbon is released at one time.

—Vishal Sharma

In a water cremation, human remains are placed within a chamber filled with about 70 to 90 gallons of water, into which bases like sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide are added.

—Bennet Goldstein

2

: the remains of the cremation process

In Besik Bay, the sandy cove facing the island of Tenedos in the Aegean, a cemetery was found where a variety of foreign peoples were buried … . Included were cremations from the thirteenth century B.C.

—Caroline Alexander

Examples of cremation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

At Mount Hora, archaeologists discovered the oldest human cremation in Africa and the oldest in situ adult pyre in the world. —Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 4 Jan. 2026

The first clear cases of cremation date to around 3,300 years ago, carried out by early pastoralists in eastern Africa. —Elizabeth Sawchuk, The Conversation, 1 Jan. 2026

Part of the undertaking includes making arrangements with embalming teams, coordinating with medical facilities if certain organs need to be donated and connecting families with companies that run cremation services. —Natalia Senanayake, PEOPLE, 29 Dec. 2025

Visitation will be held on Thursday at Tezak Funeral Home in Joliet, with a chapel service and cremation rites to follow. —Adam Harrington, CBS News, 16 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin cremātiōn-, cremātiō "a burning," from cremāre "to destroy by fire, burn as an offering to a god, cremate" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action

First Known Use

1658, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for cremation

• ablation
• bination
• carnation
• cassation
• castration
• causation
• centration
• cessation
• cetacean
• chelation
• citation
• collation

Medical Definition

cremation

noun

cre·​ma·​tion kri-ˈmā-shən 

1

a

: the process of reducing a dead body to mostly tiny bits of bone resembling ash that involves exposing the body to flame and intense heat followed by pulverization of bone fragments

b

: alkaline hydrolysis

—usually used following an adjective or noun

The reason why flameless cremation or cremation using alkaline hydrolysis is better; is that it releases 50 kgs of carbon. If you opt for the traditional method of cremation, close to 250 kgs of carbon is released at one time.

—Vishal Sharma

In a water cremation, human remains are placed within a chamber filled with about 70 to 90 gallons of water, into which bases like sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide are added.

—Bennet Goldstein

2

: the remains of the cremation process