lye

[ lahy ]

noun

, Chemistry.

1. a highly concentrated, aqueous solution of potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide.
2. any solution resulting from leaching, percolation, or the like.

lye

/ laɪ /

noun

1. any solution obtained by leaching, such as the caustic solution obtained by leaching wood ash
2. a concentrated solution of sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide

lye

/ lī /

1. A strong alkaline solution or solid of potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide, made by allowing water to wash through wood ashes. It is used to make soap and drain and oven cleaners. Chemical formula: KOH or NaOH.

Word History and Origins

Origin of lye¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English lie, ley, Old English lēag; cognate with Dutch loog, German Lauge “lye,” Old Norse laug “warm bath”; lave ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of lye¹

Old English lēag; related to Middle Dutch lōghe, Old Norse laug bath, Latin lavāre to wash

Example Sentences

“Lye and Erik deserve a chance.”

From Los Angeles Times

After Herrling learned of a police investigation into Wilding’s disappearance, she and her co-conspirators tried to dissolve his body in acid and lye on the rooftop balcony of her apartment, according to the prosecutor.

From Los Angeles Times

Women unable to get therapeutic abortions or afraid of criminal repercussions sometimes drank lye or used knitting needles to end their pregnancies.

From Slate

That’s the way wild onions are typically cooked for large gatherings, a side dish of greens with a familiar peppery bite, served alongside fried pork, beans, frybread, chicken dumplings, cornbread, and safke — a soup made with cracked corn and lye from wood ash that is common among tribal nations in the southeast, including the Muscogee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Cherokee, and Seminole.

From Seattle Times

The prohibition against soap comes from a time when all soap was made with lye, which could eat through a patina in minutes.

From Seattle Times