ashes

¹

/ ˈæʃɪz /

plural noun

1. ruins or remains, as after destruction or burning

   the city was left in ashes

2. the remains of a human body after cremation

Ashes

²

/ ˈæʃɪz /

plural noun

1. the Ashes
   a cremated cricket stump in a pottery urn now preserved at Lord's. Victory or defeat in test matches between England and Australia is referred to as winning, losing, or retaining the Ashes

Word History and Origins

Origin of ashes¹

from the mock obituary of English cricket in The Times in 1882 after a great Australian victory at the Oval, in which it was said that the body would be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia

Example Sentences

The place where, 18 years ago, my wife and I married at the tree marking the burial site of her father’s ashes.

From Los Angeles Times

She visited the site of the house on Thursday afternoon for the first time with a shovel in her hand, sifting through the smoldering ashes looking for anything of sentimental interest.

From Los Angeles Times

“All of our family memories, all of our possessions, Social Security cards, death certificates, birth certificates, my husband’s father’s ashes, my father’s ashes and my mother’s ashes.”

From Los Angeles Times

He was cremated and his ashes were buried next to those of his parents and Jamsetji Tata in a cemetery in London - uniting him once again with the Tata clan and their legacy.

From BBC

His ashes were sent to his wife some weeks after his murder.

From BBC