LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
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“ashes” in Latin

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

ashes
cinis (remains of a burned body, whether stil glowing or burned out; also both sing. and plur., as ashes of a burned corpse): favilla (ashes as light, floating particles, especially when still glowing): lix, genitive, licis (ashes from the hearth; cinis foci, Varr.: lye-ashes). To burn or reduce any thing to ashes, aliquid in cinerem redigere (for any purpose): in cinerem or cineres vertere (= annihilate, destroy): to be burned or reduced to ashes, in cinerem redigi (for any purpose; e.g., horn): in cinerem or cineres verti (to be destroyed, annihilated): conflagrare: deflagrare: consumi (to be burned up or down). Reduced or burned to ashes, in cinerem redactus: ad cinerem ambustus (crumbled to ashes by burning). The fire is burning under the ashes, cinere latet obrutus ignis (tropically, Lucr., 4, 924); ignis suppositus est cinere (doloso, Hor., tropically). To lie in sackcloth and ashes, sordidatum or atratum esse (according to Roman custom). To adjure anybody by the ashes of anybody, obsecrare aliquem per cinerem murtui alicujus. Peace to thy ashes, tua ossa bene quiescant (Petronius); tua ossa molliter cubent (Ov.); bene placideque quiescas (terraque tibi sit super ossa levis, Tibullus).

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for ashes?
The usual Latin words for “ashes” are cinis, favilla, lixa; also cōnflagrō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.