incinerate
UK[ɪnˈsɪnəreɪt]US[ɪnˈsɪnəreɪt]
v
to burn something completely until it is reduced to ashes
v
to destroy something, especially waste material, by burning it at a very high temperature
Morpheme Breakdown
in
ciner
ate
in
intensive
ciner
ash
ate
verb suffix
Etymology
The word 'incinerate' has a direct and vivid etymology rooted in Latin. It originates from the Medieval Latin verb incinerare, which itself is a compound of the intensive prefix in- and the noun cinis (genitive cineris), meaning 'ashes'. The literal sense is 'to reduce to ashes'. The suffix -ate was added in English to form the verb. Thus, the modern meaning retains the original logic perfectly: the action denoted by the verb is the intensive process of making something into ashes through complete combustion.
Analysis
Structure: in (intensive) + ciner (ash) + ate (verb suffix)
in- (a Latin prefix meaning 'in, into, on, toward', used here as an intensive); ciner- (from Latin cinis, cineris, meaning 'ashes'); -ate (a Latin-derived suffix forming verbs meaning 'to make, to act, to cause').
Examples
The municipal facility will incinerate all non-recyclable waste.
The intense heat of the furnace was enough to incinerate the documents instantly.
Some cultures traditionally incinerate the bodies of the dead.