ashes
ashes Lexical Profile
ashes Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The powdery residue and charred fragments that remain after something has been burned.
"They swept the cold ashes out of the fireplace before lighting a new fire."
The cremated remains of a human body after a funeral cremation.
"The family gathered at the coast to scatter their grandfather's ashes into the sea."
The ruins or desolate state left after a catastrophic fire, collapse, or destruction.
"A vibrant new cultural district eventually rose from the ashes of the old industrial yard."
Word Nuance & Usage
While 'ash' can be used in the singular for a specific type of wood residue or volcanic dust, the plural 'ashes' is standard when referring to the remains left in a fireplace, the ruins of a destroyed structure, or cremated human remains.
• Rhymes for ashes
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'æsce', meaning the powdery residue left after burning, derived from Proto-Germanic '*askon'.