remains
Continues in place
Remains is what's left over after something has been used, destroyed, or has otherwise disappeared.
The remains of a meal are the scraps; the remains of a building are the rubble.
When applied to people, remains refers to the body after death: Her remains were cremated.
In archaeology and history, remains designates artifacts, ruins, or physical evidence of past civilizations or events.
The word is almost always plural, though it may refer to a singular thing.
Deceased human body
- cadaverBody for dissection
- skeletonInternal supportive framework
- bonesRigid internal support structure
- bodyPhysical structure, living thing
carcass · ashes · relics · mummy · fossils · skulls · tissue · mortal
Small remaining pieces
- surplusAmount exceeding requirement
- remnantsWhat stays after most goes
- excessSurplus beyond need
- unusedNever put to purpose
spare · uneaten · waste · dregs · residue · crumbs · fragments · bits
Act of unearthing
- artifactsHuman-made historical objects
- ruinsDecayed structural remains
- potteryFired clay objects
- fossilsPreserved ancient organism traces
relics · site · dig · burial · settlement · tomb · stratigraphy · carbon-dating
Inherited cultural legacy
- testamentWritten proof or legacy
- memoryMind's retention capacity
- traceMinute remnant or pursue
- vestigeFaint surviving trace
imprint · influence · tradition · mark · footprint · echo · shadow · reminder
corpse
Deceased human body
- cadaverBody for dissection
- skeletonInternal supportive framework
- bonesRigid internal support structure
body · carcass · ashes · relics · mummy · fossils · skulls · tissue · mortal · cremains
scraps
Small remaining pieces
unused · spare · uneaten · waste · dregs · residue · crumbs · fragments · bits · pieces
excavation
Act of unearthing
fossils · relics · site · dig · burial · settlement · tomb · stratigraphy · carbon-dating · prehistoric
heritage
Inherited cultural legacy
vestige · imprint · influence · tradition · mark · footprint · echo · shadow · reminder · memento
rubble
Broken building fragments
- wreckageDestroyed remains of something
- debrisScattered broken fragments
- crumblingBreaking down gradually
dilapidated · derelict · abandoned · collapsed · overgrown · skeletal · foundation · walls · pillars · archway
sediment
Particles settling in liquid
ash · soot · film · deposit · precipitate · grounds · settlings · bottom · trace · slurry
- destructiondestruction, destroying, demolishing, devastation, ruination
- Remainderleftover, residue, surplus, excess, balance
- remnantsremnant, residue, leftover, vestige, trace
- wreckagedebris, wreckage, rubble, remnants, fragments
- scrapsbits, scraps, remnants, shards, trimmings
- cremationcrematorium, crematory, ashes, retort, pyre
- mortal remainsA deceased person's body
- remains to be seenOutcome not yet known
- human remainsBody after death
- remain silent
- time remainingDuration until deadline
- skeletal remainsPreserved framework of deceased