n. A small live coal, brand of wood, or the like; in the plural, live cinders or ashes; the smouldering remains of a fire.n. Literally, a circuit; a course; specifically, a regular (annual, quarterly, etc.) course; the regular return of a given season: a word now used only in certain compounds, namely, ember-days, -eve, -fast, -tide, -week, and in the derivative embering. See the etymology.