remains

/rɪˈmeɪnz/

/rɛˈmeɪnz/

The word remains can mean a dead body, so a detective might investigate to find out if some bones found in a lake are human or non-human remains.

You can also use remains to mean the part of something that's left behind after the rest has been used or thrown away. So the remains of your birthday cake might just be some crumbs and melted candles, and the remains of a building after an earthquake could consist of a crumbling foundation. In a murder mystery, though, remains are likely to be human bodies.

Definitions of remains

1. noun

   the dead body of a human being
   synonyms: cadaver, clay, corpse, stiff

   types:

   cremains

   the remains of a dead body after cremation

   type of:

   body, dead body

   a natural object consisting of a dead animal or person
2. noun

   any object that is left unused or still extant
   “I threw out the remains of my dinner”

   types:

   archeological remains

   a relic that has been excavated from the soil

   fossil

   the remains (or an impression) of a plant or animal that existed in a past geological age and that has been excavated from the soil

   fucoid

   a fossilized cast or impression of algae of the order Fucales

   belemnite

   a conical calcareous fossil tapering to a point at one end and with a conical cavity at the other end containing (when unbroken) a small chambered phragmocone from the shell of any of numerous extinct cephalopods of the family Belemnitidae

   ammonite, ammonoid

   an extinct marine mollusk with a coiled, chambered shell or the shell itself

   guide fossil, index fossil

   a fossil known to have lived in a particular geologic age that can be used to date the rock layer in which it is found

   microfossil

   the remains or impression of a plant or animal from a past geological age, so tiny that it must be studied with a microscope

   wormcast

   fossil trail of a worm

   type of:

   object, physical object

   a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow